If you walk into any mall on Tianjin’s Binjiang Road in January 2026 and see the four letters "GO BELIEVE" overhead, you’ll probably pause: Isn’t that "go believe"? What does it have to do with Goubuli?
Don’t doubt it—this is Goubuli’s official English trademark. Registered under Class 43 (Catering and Accommodation) with Trademark Registration No. 6316758 from the China National Intellectual Property Administration, it has an exclusive term from May 28, 2022, to May 27, 2032, held by Goubuli Group Co., Ltd.
Today, we break down "Go Believe" into five dimensions—time, pronunciation, law, business, and culture—to explore how a bun born in 1858 got a "foreign-style" English name in the 21st century, and why it’s not "Dog Don’t Care" or "Goubulie".
I. Time Perspective: The 2007 "Preemptive Registration"
1. Rewind to 2007
It was China’s sixth year in the WTO and one year before the Beijing Olympics. Archives from the Intellectual Property Bureau of Tianjin’s Heping District show that on June 29 that year, Goubuli Group submitted 8 English trademarks in one go, covering three categories: catering, quick-frozen food, and condiments.
Among them, "GO BELIEVE" in Class 43 was the first to pass preliminary examination, with Announcement No. 1167.
Why the rush to register?
Zhou Tao, then deputy general manager of Goubuli, revealed in an internal training session: In 2006, the company received a cruise group of 2,600 people from the US China Shipping Tourism Group. Foreign tourists stumbled over the Chinese sign "Gou—Bu—Li" and walked away. "We realized that without international recognition, even intangible cultural heritage (ICH) can’t go global."
2. Comparative Cases That Year
Quanjude submitted its pinyin trademark "Quanjude" the same year, while Guangzhou Taotaoju filed "TOAST HOUSE".
Data shows 2007–2010 was a "window period" for Chinese time-honored brands to register international trademarks, with an average of 124 new applications annually. Goubuli was among the first "free translation advocates"—opting for English meaning over pinyin spelling.
II. Pronunciation Perspective: Why Not "Dog Ignore"?
1. Restore the Original Pronunciation
In Tianjin dialect, "狗不理" is pronounced /gou² bu¹ li³/, with a short, light final syllable "li" and emphasis on "gou".
Word-for-word translations:
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Dog + don’t + care = 11 syllables, a tongue twister to pronounce.
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Dog Ignore = /dɔg ɪgˈnɔr/, with two stressed syllables, carrying a negative connotation like "dog ignores people" and prone to mockery as "buns even dogs ignore".
2. Pinyin Options
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Goubulie: Long to spell, and "lie" means "to deceive" in English—foreign media once misread it as "Go Bull Lie".
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Kublai: Sounds like Kublai Khan, too historically heavy and mismatched with buns.
3. Free Translation Option: Go Believe
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Syllables: 3, matching the 3 characters of "狗不理";
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Pronunciation: The final syllable "lieve" rhymes approximately with "li";
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Meaning: Positive, interpretable as "Go believe (in the deliciousness)";
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Initials: G and B subtly align with the consonants of "狗" (gou) and "不" (bu).
Li Zhaolin, the brand consultant who led the naming, recalled in a 2018 "Chinese Brand Narrative" class: "We presented 12 sets of plans. The boss picked Go Believe at first glance, saying—‘Even if foreigners can’t remember the Chinese story, they’ll remember Go Believe’."
III. Legal Perspective: The "Moat" Beyond the Registration Certificate
1. Trademark Layout
As of December 2024, Goubuli has made 3 supplements around "GO BELIEVE":
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2015: Added a graphic (steamed bun silhouette + English letters);
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2019: Added the year mark "GO BELIEVE 1858";
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2021: Added the combination "GO BELIEVE SINCE 1858".
This forms a triple protection of "text + graphic + year", with a 100% rejection rate for similar trademarks.
2. Overseas Registration
Madrid International Trademark Registration No. 1058192, designated for five countries: the US, EU, Japan, Singapore, and Australia.
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Registration No. 4567831, Class 30 (Convenience Foods), issued in July 2023.
This means if you see "GO BELIEVE" quick-frozen gift boxes at Terminal 4 of New York’s JFK Airport, they’re not counterfeits but genuine products from Tianjin.
IV. Business Perspective: How Is "Go Believe" Used in Stores?
On January 10, we called the flagship Goubuli store on Heping Road, Tianjin. Ms. Wang, the front desk supervisor, demonstrated bilingually over the phone:
"Welcome to Go Believe. How many in your party?"
She said foreign customers instinctively repeat "Go Believe", making it extremely easy to remember; if they hear "Goubulie", they often ask for spelling, reducing store queuing efficiency by 30%.
Data support:
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During the 2024 National Day holiday, Goubuli’s Ancient Cultural Street store received 2,780 foreign tourists, a year-on-year increase of 67%;
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The usage rate of English menus rose from 18% in 2019 to 54% in 2024;
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The keyword "Go Believe" was mentioned 126 times on Google Review, with an average rating of 4.3.
