Fake Products in China

Pumping water into pigs to make them heavier (hence pricier) is nothing new in China.

But what was new to me was the description by Chinese writer Xie Sizhong (解思忠) of how the pigs looked like after water had been pumped into them.

"被注过水的猪都是滚瓜溜圆, 气喘吁吁, 行走艰难, 痛苦不堪, 有的竟像傻了一样, 站在那里一动不动, 任人斩割."

("Pigs that had water pumped into them looked like fattened rounded gourds, they find it difficult to breathe, have difficulties walking, and seemed to be in extreme pain. Some looked completely dazed, stood completely still, and could do little to avoid being killed or slaughtered.")

Even though I have to confess that I enjoy bacon, it is still awful, if not painful, to picture an over-bloated pig ballooning to proportions beyond its size.

As Xie noted in his book 国民素质忧思录 (A Chronicle of Worries and Contemplation about the Caliber of Our Citizens, 香港三联书店, 1998), the scariest thing about fake products was not the manufacture of such products by merely one person or one small group of people. Rather, it is when large groups of people quietly yet concurrently conspire to undertake such illicit manufacturing with scant regard to the law and public health.

Giving the example of Wenshui County in Shanxi province (山西省的文水县), Xie recounted that at one time, as many as 3,400 people in the county participated in the manufacturing of fake liquor. Every household, whether male or female, young or old, had a hand in the scam. For example, a 70-year old grandmother roped in her two 14-year old and 10-year old grandchildren to re-purchase logos, empty bottles and white wine. She, on the other hand, would be in charge of mixing the white wine with other liquids to re-sell for a profit. The whole county even banded together to set up "alert posts" in all parts of the county so that if any inspection teams were to enter the county, early alarm bells would be triggered off.

Whoever said that Chinese are disunited, much like a plate of scattered sand (一盘散沙), need to reconsider that view. When it comes to illicit profits, there is the possibility that some Chinese (like people anywhere else actually) will see the merits of being united.