Coca-Cola: A witness to the nation's reform

Coca-Cola was the first US company to operate on the Chinese mainland after the nation began its opening-up policies in 1979, the same year that Sino-US diplomatic relations were established at an ambassadorial level.

At first the "luxury" drink was sold only at the Friendship Store and hotels for foreigners.

With the changes and development in Chinese society over more than three decades, it is a very different story now as some 140 million servings are sold each day.