Would you buy a can of scenic air for 59.9 yuan (about 35 ringgit)? Some laugh and call it a “IQ tax,” while others say it allows homesick people from other places to smell the air of their hometown. Regardless of the controversy, the product sold out immediately upon launch.
According to Shenzhen Evening News, the "air cans" launched by the Wanlv Lake scenic area in Heyuan, Guangdong, China, became a hit and were snapped up as soon as they hit the shelves. An agent for the Wanlv Lake scenic area's "air cans" told the media that the product has already sold out since release. The main goal is to let people experience the air of Wanlv Lake; people in places where the air isn't great can breathe more of Heyuan Wanlv Lake's fresh air.
Reporters saw at the store selling this product that this item, called “Wanlv Lake Good Air Negative Oxygen Ion Oxygen Can,” is priced at 59.9 yuan and is also sold out. The shop staff said that the air cans are still out of stock and it's unclear if or when they will be restocked.
In fact, as early as 2012, Chen Guangbiao, known as “China’s most charitable person,” started selling air and also attracted media and public attention.
In 2017, an entrepreneur born in the 1980s from Pan'an, Zhejiang, made headlines for earning four million yuan a year (about 2.3 million ringgit) by selling air, and was given the nickname “Air Brother.”
Upon investigation, it was found that there are still a small number of similar products available on e-commerce platforms, including “Hulunbuir Air,” “Altay Air,” and “Mount Fuji Air,” but their sales tend to be sluggish.