Today's HeySong Corp. began with a man by the name of Wen-Chi Chang. He and several of his cousins created the Jian Hsin Corporation in 1925 to buy an existing beverage manufacturer in Taiwan. At the time Taiwan was under Japanese control, and so they bought Japanese brand Nikoniko. For several years they made sodas under various names. They created the HeySong brand for HeySong Soda, released in 1931. HeySong Sarsaparilla did not come about until 1950. In 1959, they installed the first neon sign in Taiwan at the Chiayl Rail Station. The company would later change it's name to HeySong in 1970 recognizing the popular brand. In 1984, they suffered a major blow when a massive recall was made due to concerns around safrole, which is banned by the FDA. This is why all modern root beer/sarsaparilla use artificial flavorings.
When cracking open a can it smells like minty candy; sweet, but with a minty overtone. It has a very odd flavor to it. The "rooty" flavor a westerner is accustomed to with, say, an A&W or Barq's is very faint. There is also a minty taste in it as if someone accidentally poured barbicide or a touch of Scope into it. I find it to be a very strange flavor, however popular it may be in asia. I had higher hopes for this when I discovered it but won't be indulging in it again anytime soon. I could not even think of a meal it might pair well with. My bottom line is that you should probably let it be unless you're simply too curious.
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