In July 2021, after floods in Henan, the sportswear maker Hongxing Erke announced a donation of 50 million yuan, though it had been losing money for years. Shoppers rushed to its stores and livestreams in what was called 野性消费, “wild consumption.” In one week, the company sold more than 100 million yuan through its livestreams alone.
The Zhengzhou Charity Federation later said that its agreement with an Erke subsidiary covered 30 million yuan, mostly in goods. The Beijing News concluded that the donation was real, but that the amount might end up below the figure announced.