That’s one of the findings of the Jiangsu Bureau of Product Monitoring, which concluded that current regulations are not strict enough when they began investigating the dangers of using drinking straws made in China.

The bureau found that Chinese-made brightly colored straws are prone to releasing harmful chemicals when they heat up in warm weather or warm drinks, and advised the public not use them.

The prime material used in the straws is polypropylene, which when properly made can withstand temperatures of up to 80 degrees Celsius without problem. However, when improperly made, drinking straws will release a smell if a chemical reaction occurs.

To conduct its test, the Jiangsu Bureau of Product Monitoring procured 100 drinking straw samples that were not identified. Nineteen samples did not meet the standards for initiating a chemical reaction when coming into contact with several types of drinks and liquids. Six samples broke government standards for heavy metals, while three were found to contain micro-organisms.

The bureau also referenced standards employed by the European Union for drinking straws, and found that if the samples were judged by EU standards, 44 of the samples would receive a failing grade, while a full 56 percent would be deemed “problematic”.

China produces around 15 billion straws a year. It is estimated that they meet government standards only 77 percent of the time.

The post Now It’s Chinese-made Straws That Will Make You Sick appeared first on The Nanfang.

The Minister of State Administration for Industry and Commerce, Zhang Mao, said that e-commerce providers have to take “key responsibility” for the sale of counterfeit goods, and promote “credibility and integrity” on their respective sites. He added that government regulators plan to increase supervision over the industry and propose new legislative bills focused on that aim.

Earlier this year, the Ministry published a report indicating that only 37 percent of goods sold on Taobao.com, Alibaba’s popular e-commerce platform, were genuine, as compared to 59 percent for other major online shopping platforms. Following the release of the report, Alibaba’s CEO, Jack Ma, met with Minister Zhang publicly to refute the findings.

Despite Ma’s assurance, Zhang maintains more needs to be done. “The reason why there are so many market violations is that the cost of breaking the rules is too low,” he said, adding the market will fundamentally improve if online retailers face harsher penalties.

To suggest China’s online retail industry has been booming would be something of an understatement. The industry enjoyed a 50 percent rise in sales in 2014, amounting to RMB 2.79 trillion (about US $450 billion), representing 10 percent of the country’s total retail sales.

The post Feud Between Taobao and the Government Over Counterfeit Goods Heats Up appeared first on The Nanfang.

A woman walks past a banner that reads, “crack down on prostitution, gambling and drugs”.

Dongguan’s sex trade has proven to be more resilient than originally thought. The city, which has been targeted in a large-scale sweep over the past eight months, appears to have its mojo back.

Sixty people were arrested following raids on two of the city’s “entertainment venues” on Houjie Street: Junhao Hotel KTV and Dongcheng Shengshi Gechao KTV, both of which were offering sexual services. Their business licenses have already been suspended for six months.

The arrests come just two months after the city’s massage parlours, saunas, and hotels reopened for business after a massive clean-up, which followed CCTV’s exposé on the city’s rampant sex trade in mid-February. It alleged that the sex-trade contributed 10 percent to the city’s GDP.

Since being allowed to reopen, 2,684 entertainment operators, or 80 percent of the city’s entertainment businesses, have signed a pledge promising not to provide services related to gambling, drugs and prostitution.

In July, Guangdong province also introduced a series of detailed new regulations aimed at prohibiting the “vice trade”, including banning dim lights and private rooms. Evidently, the measures have proven to be of little use.

Photos: SCMP

The post Dongguan’s Sex Trade Is Back appeared first on The Nanfang.

We have been reporting for a while now that Guangzhou has been cracking down on foreigners in the city, specifically visitors from Africa. One report said half of the 200,000 African expats in Guangzhou are there illegally.

No matter where you’re from, make sure you have a valid visa and working permit, because Guangzhou isn’t messing around when it comes to deportations.

So far this year, the city announced it has either detained or deported 768 foreigners for things like expired passports, overstaying visas, illegal entry, and other criminal acts. The city remains one of the most popular destinations for visitors from other countries, with more than three million foreigners arriving or leaving the city this year.

The report says Guangzhou is currently home to 86,000 foreigners.

The post Guangzhou Has Deported 768 Foreigners So Far This Year appeared first on The Nanfang.

The crash killed everyone inside the vehicle: the driver and two passengers, a man and a woman.

Other taxi drivers confirm it is very common for Beijing cabbies to work double shifts; sometimes they work for more than ten hours at a time.

To make matter worse, safety belts are not provided for passengers riding in the back seat of Beijing taxi cabs, something that is common in many other Chinese cities. Instead, the harnesses are often pushed inside the seat cushion and aren’t available.

Earlier this year, a Dongguan taxi driver died after working a 24 hour shift.

Related:

• Foreigner Charged RMB 2,700 for a Ride in a Fake Taxi in Beijing
• Forget Regular Guangzhou Taxis, Now You Too Can Be a High-Roller
• Dongguan taxi drivers forced to pay RMB92,000 in “tea money” fee

Photos: Caijing

The post Beijing Taxi Driver Dozes Off Behind The Wheel Before Fatal Crash appeared first on The Nanfang.

That may come as good news to the 200,000 people who lost jobs as a result of the crackdown, which sent people fleeing from the city earlier this year. But while establishments are re-opening, they aren’t quite the same as they used to be.

Reports say that valid photo identification may be required for those late night massage visits, which we believe probably make up a majority of them, if a new proposal is approved. The proposal not only applies to Dongguan, but all of Guangdong Province.

From now on, any visits to a bath house after 2am would be subject to the new requirement. This will, more than likely, have a negative impact on these businesses. On the plus side? It’s sure to inject some stimulus into fake ID shops.

This new requirement has come to light alongside other stiff new regulations we told you about earlier, such as no lights off, no locks on the doors, and no prostitution (of course).

So where are these massage places? Far be it from us to tell you. Just remember, be safe.

The post Want a Late-Night “Massage” In Guangdong? You’ll Need to Show ID appeared first on The Nanfang.

On August 5, the website for the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce announced four major brands are selling inferior products that do not conform to government regulations in seven separate cases. The four brands named are MUJI, H&M, VERO MODA, and ZARA.

This announcement follows an earlier report by the same government agency that announced there are 64 brands that are on a “black list” for violating government quality standards, but did not mention all of them specifically.

MUJI is cited for having three violations, while ZARA is cited for two. H&M and VERO MODA are cited for one violation each. They are:

• A Shanghai MUJI store that sold a US cotton blend denim women’s skirt that has problems with durability, friction, and an ability to retain color.
• A Shanghai MUJI store that sold a US cotton blend denim jacket shirt that has problems with durability, friction, and an ability to retain color.
• A Shanghai MUJI store that sold a US cotton blend denim women’s fitted skirt that has problems with durability, friction, and ability to retain color.
• An Shanghai H&M store that sold women’s casual shoes that has problems with its ph level, durability, friction, an ability to retain color.
• A Beijing ZARA store that sold jeans that had problems with durability, friction, and an ability to retain color.
• Another Beijing ZARA store that sold jeans that had problems with durability with washing, and an ability to retain color.
• A Tianjin VERO MODA  store that sold jeans that had problems with friction, and durability ZARA, Beijing.

The Nanfang will continue to keep you informed in case other brand names are added to the black list.

Photos: hd315, eksms

The post Beijing Says H&M, Vero Moda, Zara and MUJI All Sell Poor Quality Products appeared first on The Nanfang.

Guangzhou is currently deliberating a policy which will encourage the use of reusuable items in order to reduce the impact on the environment. Yin Ziyong, department head of the municipal management works committee, explained the policy:

This is to promote regulations. Guangzhou’s hotel industry has traditionally gifted (its guests) with with six complimentary items. Following the development of society and economy, many clients have brought up environment-saving measures used by international hotels in which guests are to pay for these complimentary products. Right now, we are soliciting different parties for their perspectives. It is to promote the reduction of disposable items, and is not an inflexible policy to be uniformly applied.

Photo: Alibaba

The post No More Free Toothbrushes and Other Toiletries at Guangzhou Hotels appeared first on The Nanfang.

Guangdong Province is looking for suggestions from the public on how best to police the industry in light of its frequent association with prostitution. According to the report, steam room and bathing facilities will be mandatory in all Guangdong massage parlors in the future.

READ: Man Goes for a Massage in Shenzhen, Leaves Paralyzed

Other proposed guidelines include:

• can not provide services within any enclosed rooms
• can not set dividing partitions or screens
• can not turn off lights
• can not have non-transparent doors
• can not engage in prostitution

Furthermore,  massage parlors must register the personal identification of all clients that request services from 2am to 8am, and then log it with the local PSB.

Failure to comply with these rules will result in a fine ranging from RMB 10,000 to RMB 30,000. The regulations will cover any place that provides massages and includes services such as saunas, hydrotherapy, Chinese manual health therapy, and reflexology.

READ: Foshan Court Rules that Happy Ending Massages
Do Not Amount to Prostitution

Meanwhile, regulatory bodies that will enforce these rules will also be given their own guidelines in which regulatory teams:

• must consist of at least two people
• must always provide proper identification
• can never open massage parlors of their own
• can not frequent massage parlors
• can not misuse their authority over massage parlors

Starting on August 6, provincial residents will be able to leave their suggestions on the provincial law office website.

Related:

• Happy-Ending Massages No Crime, Now Barber Shop Owners Want Compensation
• Shenzhen Masseuse Beaten for Refusing to Provide Sexual Services
• New Dongguan “Massage” iPhone App Gives New Meaning to Facetime

Photo: fh21

The post No Lights Off, No Private Rooms, and Other New Massage Rules in Guangdong appeared first on The Nanfang.

On July 1, a “secret” national hygiene municipal inspection was to be carried out in Jinan on a vast scale.  One-thousand volunteers wearing armbands conferring their official status were sent to inspect all of the city’s restaurants. When the eateries found out about the supposed “secret” inspection, they closed up shop.

READ: Guangzhou Restaurants Busted for Adding Addictive
Poppy Powder to Food

Many of these pictures were taken at around 4pm, just before the dinner rush, and yet there are hardly any people around. We wish we could tell you at least one restaurant defied the trend and stayed open, but the report doesn’t mention any.

Apparently, some restaurants have been ordered to take down their signs because they don’t meet health regulations, presumably due to the improper disposal of garbage that the volunteers were still able to inspect from outside the premises. The businesses are apparently waiting for the health inspection period to wrap up so they can re-open.

READ: Poppy Opiate Used at Foshan Restaurant to Make Food “Tastier”

READ: Merchant Processes Dried Bamboo Shoots in Toilet

Here are some pictures of the volunteer health inspectors, seemingly left with little to do:

Related:

• 70 Tons of Dead Livestock a Day Unaccounted For, Could Be Sold Legally
• 40 Jailed in 3 Years for Food Safety Violations in Dongguan
• Fake Chicken Wings Appear in Guangzhou with a “Gummy” Texture

Photos: cnr.cn

The post Jinan Restaurants Snub Health Inspectors, Close En Masse Instead appeared first on The Nanfang.