It seems that barely a week goes by in China without a scandal hitting the news. From dodgy buns to tainted meat and corporate fraud, here are 10 of the most shocking from the past year.

1) Toxic Beansprouts

Last month, police in Shenyang seized 40 tons of beansprouts that were found to have been treated with sodium nitrite and urea, along with antibiotics and the plant hormone 6-benzyladenine. Apparently, these chemicals made the sprouts grow faster and look more attractive on market stalls. Twelve people were arrested for the crime.

2) Tainted Buns

Earlier this year, steamed buns destined for convenience stores around Shanghai were recalled after it was found that they were out of date. Shanghai Shenglu Food Co. plant in Baoshan District had relabelled batches of two-day-old buns to make them look new. Week-old buns were added to new stock, and chemicals like sodium cyclamate and potassium sorbate were added. An investigation was launched, and the managers involved issued an apology.

3) Beijing Vice Dens

In May last year, police uncovered 557 hostesses plying their trade in four nightclubs in Beijing’s Chaoyang district. The clubs – Passion Club, Comfort International, Flower City and Regal Club – were forced to close for six months. The closures were part of a crackdown on vice in Beijing, but we can’t help thinking that it was a mere drop in the ocean where hostesses are concerned…

4) Microsoft China Ex-Boss and his Fake Resume

Former president of Microsoft China, Tang Jun, was found to have faked his academic credentials in June last year. He claimed that he had received a doctorate from the California Institute of Technology (CIT), when it was actually the less prestigious Pacific Western University. To make matters worse, Tang tried to deny the allegations, and then backtracked by claiming that he had done “research” at CIT. Read more here.

5) Unlicensed Pilots at Shenzhen Airlines

Shenzhen Airlines took a blow last year when it was revealed that 103 of its pilots were using falsified flying certificates. China Business News reveals that many Chinese airlines were employing unlicensed pilots with fake resumes, and around 200 were uncovered and sacked.

6) FoxConn Suicides

The now-famous spate of suicides last year at FoxConn in Shenzhen inspired criticism of working conditions among the factory workers who toiled with low pay and poor lodgings to supply the vast demand for electronic products from companies like Apple, Nintendo and Dell. The eighteen suicide attempts and fourteen deaths prompted 20 Chinese universities to compile a study branding FoxConn a “labor camp”.

7) Recycled Cooking Oil

Another food scandal, this retch-worthy story broke in March last year, leading many people to avoid street food and low-end restaurants. Apparently, unscrupulous restaurant bosses were selling their slop to recyclers, who drained it in massive vats to siphon off the oil. The truth came to light when a professor at Wuhan University conducted a study into local cooking oil.

8) More Problems with Oil

Will these companies ever learn? August last year saw a scandal in Hunan province when Jinhao camellia oil was found to contain carcinogenic chemicals. What’s worse, local health authorities admitted to having waited five months before announcing that previous recalls had already happened, without public knowledge.

9) Mouldy Noodles

In January 2011, reports surfaced from Dongguan of tainted rice noodles. Around 50 factories were found to be producing about 500,000 kilograms of dodgy noodles per day using mouldy rice. Additives like sulphur dioxide were used to make the grain go further. This low-quality rice is usually earmarked for animal feed, but rises in food pricing led to it being used for humans too.

10) Baby Snatchers

Recent reports from Hunan Province state that around 20 children were unlawfully removed from parents who were unable to afford the fines required to keep a second baby under the One Child Policy. It is claimed that the children were listed as orphans and adopted overseas for around $3,000 each. 

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Keywords: dirty food in China 2010 scandals China top ten scandals China Foxconn suicides China