Tiens Group
TypePrivate
IndustryMulti-level marketing company
Founded1995 (1995)
FounderLi Jinyuan
Headquarters
Tianjin
,
China
Key people
ProductsDietary supplements
SubsidiariesTianjin Tianshi Biological Development Co., Ltd. Tiens Yihai Co. Ltd.
Websitewww.tiens.com

Tiens Group (/ˈtiːɛns/, from Chinese: 天狮; pinyin: Tiānshī; lit. 'heavenly lion') is a Chinese multinational conglomerate and multi-level marketing company headquartered in Tianjin, China.[1]

The company also operates a manufacturing facility in Vietnam.[2]

History

Tiens Group was founded in 1995 by Li Jinyuan. Tiens entered the international market in 1997.[3] The company's initial product offerings included traditional Chinese medicinal products, calcium tablets, and instant coffee. In 2008, they reported having 12 million MLM distributors worldwide, including more than 40,000 in Germany,[4] and 40 million customers,[5] mostly in Russia, with approximately 60,000 in Germany.[6] In 2014, they reported having 200,000 distributors in Uganda.[7] The company also has market partners in Indonesia, Hungary and Kazakhstan.[8]

In May 2015, the company sent 6,400 employees on a four-day tour of France. While in Nice, they set a Guinness World Record for the longest "human-made phrase".[9]

Controversy

United States

In September 2016, the FDA issued an advisory letter[10] warning them that their claim of treating or preventing "asthma, cancer, rheumatism, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, myocardial infarction, stroke, sexually transmitted diseases (e.g., herpes), cerebral embolism, and dementia" violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. As of December 2022, the FDA still lists Tiens products among "Products Illegally Marketed for Serious Diseases".[11] These include TIENS Super Calcium with Lecithin, TIENS Selenium Supplement, TIENS Natto Ginkgo, TIENS Cell Rejuvenation Yi Kang, TIENS Cordyceps, and TIENS Wei Kang Vitality.[11]

Uganda

According to an article in The Guardian, in Uganda, the company's "food supplements" are being touted as cures for everything from cancer and HIV to hernias, tumors, and appendicitis.[7] The report claims that the company is a pyramid scheme, where most of the money is generated from joining fees of new recruits.[7]

Pakistan

In November 2008, Jamia Darul Uloom, Karachi, a seminary headed by the Grand Mufti of Pakistan, issued a Fatwa to the effect that the marketing scheme of Tiens is not permissible.[12] On 3 November 2011, another fatwa was issued about a fake fatwa that was circulating without signatures or stamps, claiming that Jamia Darul Uloom has retracted its previous reservations, and now considers it permissible. The fatwa stated that this is a fake, and the original fatwa has not been altered. M. Mahmood suggested that perhaps the original fatwa was based on a misunderstanding of the economic workings of Tiens, and provided more detailed information about how the multi-level marketing scheme works. He asked for a review of the original fatwa, and on 28 November 2011, a fatwa further reconfirmed that the new facts presented do not substantially change the original decision.

References

  1. ↑ "China's Tiens Group to enter Indian e-commerce market". Economic Times. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Tiens Group plans to set up manufacturing unit in India". The Economic Times. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  3. ↑ "Li Jinyuan: "The World Focus On China Now. TIENS Is In!". Business World. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "Tiens in Deutschland" (in German). Tiens. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "Unternehmensübersicht" (in German). Tiens. 28 April 2008. Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "Goldjunge aus Tianjin" – Die Zeit, Nr. 37, 4 September 2008
  7. 1 2 3 Wan, James (19 June 2014). "The Chinese multinational making millions out of vulnerable Ugandans". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  8. ↑ "First Metaverse Ambassador 'Tiensy' launched in Indonesia". Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "Chinese firm sends 6,400 employees on French holiday". BBC News. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "Advisory Letter - Tiens Group". US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Products Illegally Marketed for Serious Diseases". US Food and Drug Administration. US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "Jamia Darul Uloom Karachi Fatawa Collection". Archive. hJamia Darul Uloom Karachi. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
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