Hulled barley liquors with gold and silver flakes on sale on Taobao.

China is in the midst of debating the merits of adding gold flakes to Chinese bottles of baijiu, the country’s popular rice wine, while some producers have done an end-run around the debate and have started adding silver flakes instead.

An online shop on China’s biggest e-commerce website Taobao has been selling well-packaged liquor with gold and silver flakes even though no decision has been made on whether the additives should be allowed. The online shop sells two kinds of baijiu with gold flakes and silver flakes for RMB 168. The additives are clearly stated on the bottle: “hulled barley, peas, gold flakes and silver flakes…” The shop says it has 795 cases in stock, and another shop selling similar products says it had 1,135 cases as of Friday.

Similar products from Japan and Germany were also available on Taobao and JD.com, another Chinese e-commerce website.

Liquor with gold flakes

Officials from the National Health and Family Planning Commission are still soliciting public opinions on whether gold should be allowed as a food additive to Chinese baijiu. If passed, 0.02 grams of 99.99 percent pure gold would be permitted in every one kilogram of liquor. The deadline for submitting public opinions is February 20, but the subject of silver as food additive was absent in the proposal. That has created a possible loophole although silver is less popular in China.

Health experts noted that adding gold has no notable health benefits, nor significant adverse impacts. That has left experts wondering why people would add gold in the first place. “We have received the notice for soliciting public opinion, but I don’t understand what’s point of adding gold to liquor?”“We have received the notice for soliciting public opinion, but I don’t understand what’s point of adding gold to liquor?” commented Ma Yong, executive vice president of the China National Food Industry Association and National Baijiu Committee.

A veteran baijiu drinker surnamed Zhao told the newspaper it seems to be all for show. “(It’s) glittery, adds to one’s face. But the taste is nothing different from regular baijiu.”

Online users speculated on why there is demand for gold in the wine. 五大欠 commented, “This is a good gift to be presented to the officials.”

Another user blatantly called out the decision-makers behind the proposal: “This is what well-fed big-bellied people do? If they had the time, why not supervise food quality? (Expletive), how much tax money do we have to pay to feed those brain-damaged people?”