June 10, 2019, 06:49 PM 
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of White Rabbit candy, a pop-up bubble tea store and merchandise store was set up in LuOne mall in Shanghai.
It's must-go for any fan of the candy or the nostalgia that surrounds it: Cushions, tote bags, lip balms, shower creams, and even scent diffusers are available for sale.
Photo via 大白鲨Nicky on Weibo
Photo via 上海反邪教 on Weibo
Screenshot via 看看新闻KNEWS on Weibo
The pop-up bubble tea store was set up in collaboration with the Chinese bubble tea chain Happy Lemon.
There are six special flavours to choose from:
- Lemon Tea (S$3.75)
- Lemon Tea with Ice Cream (S$4.94)
- Milk Tea (S$3.75)
- Milk Tea with Crystal Pearls (S$4.35)
- Tiramisu Milk Tea (S$4.15)
- Tiramisu Red Bean Milk Tea (S$4.54).
Additional toppings are also available, including red bean (S$0.40), crystal pearls (S$0.59) and ice cream (S$1.19).
Image via CGTN's Weibo
The drinks are also packed with adorable cup holders that had the White Rabbit logo:
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Photo via 安分的吃货 on Weibo[/caption]
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Photo via nigitahy on Weibo[/caption]
Four-hour queues
The pop-up bubble tea store is open from May 29 to August 18.
Despite being open for about three months, fans couldn't wait.
According to Zaobao, snaking queues formed on the second day of the pop-up store's opening.
It reportedly took people up to four hours to buy a cup.
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Photo via 张一南baby's Weibo[/caption]
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Photo via 锦时虚壹's Weibo[/caption]
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Image via 今天是星期叭's Weibo[/caption]
S$33 for milk tea
Scalpers were quick to cash in on this.
They were allegedly re-selling the drinks at anywhere from 70 yuan (S$13.83) to 100 yuan (S$19.79), which is four to five times the original price.
The highest price tag we've seen so far is 168 yuan (S$33.20) for a cup Tiramisu Red Bean Milk Tea on the food delivery app Ele.me, according to this screenshot on Weibo.
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Screenshot via Leon_大师兄's Weibo[/caption]
Tasted like normal milk tea
However, some customers were rather disappointed with the drinks.
Chinese news site The Paper interviewed two university students, who came down after reading about the pop-up on social media platform Weibo.
One of the students mentioned that the drinks tasted like normal milk tea, and there wasn't the White Rabbit candy flavour that they expected.
The other student who ordered the lemon tea flavour felt that it was similar to other lemon teas she had drunk before.
At least one user on Weibo agreed:
Screenshot via 杜一妮's Weibo
When I heard the official White Rabbit Ice Cream was here, I rushed down! The scalpers have raised the price so much, it's already at 100 yuan a cup! Flavour-wise, I think it wasn't too good. I can't taste the White Rabbit candy flavour - it's just like the usual Happy Lemon flavour. Friends who also went down, what do you think?
But for others, it was more than just a cup of milk tea.
Screenshot via 钜蝎乐乐 on Weibo
Only because it's the White Rabbit candy, I queued up a whole four hours for this milk tea! I went through much trouble - I'm gonna give myself a pat on the back for my admirable spirit just this once. What I drank is not milk tea, but a cup of love!
And it makes for pretty Instagram photos too:
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByPPC2pFW0A/
The power of nostalgia.
Top image adapted via _swyou_ on Instagram and 今天是星期叭's Weibo
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