Erke, a Chinese brand based in Xiamen owned by China Hongxiang, rose in popularity and was even praised by the central government after donating 50 million yuan renminbi (€6.6m-$7.7m) to help the Henan province, devasted by the floods in the second half of July. Erke sells apparel primarily aimed at tennis and table tennis players. To thank the company, many tourist locations across China have been offering free or discounted tickets to people wearing Erke gear ever since. The central government defined the donation as an example of “one good deed deserves another,” the South China Morning Post reported. The floods killed at least 69 people and affected millions of residents in the central Chinese province. The news of the donation reportedly generated a buying frenzy for Erke products. Much of the brand’s offline inventory was sold out and sales numbers for the brand on Alibaba’s Taobao.com rose by 50 times the week of July 19, added the newspaper. China Hongxiang was delisted from the Singapore Exchange (SGX) in 2020 due to financial problems, which the company attributed at the time to the severe disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

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