520 is a Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

ese brand of cigarette

Cigarette

A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...

s manufactured by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (菸酒公賣局). The name 520 was chosen for the brand because it sounds similar to the words I love you (我爱你) when pronounced in Mandarin Chinese. It has a red heart-shaped hole in its filter, which releases a distinct flavor. There is also a menthol

Menthol cigarette

A menthol cigarette is a cigarette flavored with the compound menthol, a substance which triggers the cold-sensitive nerves in the skin without actually providing a drop in temperature....

 variety.

The new cigarette brand was originally planned to be launched in Taiwan on May 20, 1999, to celebrate the anniversary of former president Lee Teng-hui

Lee Teng-hui

Lee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...

's inauguration as Taiwan's first democratically elected president. However, after receiving harsh criticism from several social and legislative groups, the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation announced on May 13, 1999, that it had suspended the production of 520. The primary concern of the critics was that the cigarette brand was targeted at young people with its name, design and flavor. Now 520 is only sold outside of Taiwan.