Laokokok asks why the Cantonese used to called soft drinks Hor Lan Shui, or Holland Water in the past.

It turns out that the answer comes from way back in the past – about 200 years back, in fact, when the Dutch were one of the main trading powers in our seas:

The Dutch East India Company colonies or outposts were also established in Canton, China and Taiwan (1624 – 1662). But in 1662, Zheng Chenggong expelled the Dutch from Taiwan. By 1669, the Dutch East India Company was the richest private company in history, with a huge fleet of merchant ships and warships, tens of thousands of employees. They were confined to trade only in Canton and Macau from the 16th century to 18th century.

By the 18th Century, the number of merchants who came to China increased. As you remembered, the soft drinks were already commercialised during this period and were brought into China via Canton by the Holland merchants.

So the people in Canton termed such soft drinks as “Hor Lan Shui” (荷兰水).

But why are soft drinks ‘soft’? Laokokok also has the answer, and you can read about how soft drinks came about and how they came to this region in his post, Holland Water – Hor Lan Shui.