Baby Herbal Soup in China - a Hoax?
84BABY HERBAL SOUP in China?!
I don’t know how to react on this kind of horrifying news. I asked my cousin about its authenticity; who, for the last month, tried to send me the forwarded message attached with pictures from her Yahoo email account. I tried researching for the truthfulness of the information and I’d found supporting facts about this so-called exotic food in China. You'll have to find out if this is true or not... in other words, a HOAX.
My exact sentiment about this information is horrible. How on Earth should the government of China allow this kind of treatment to human fetuses? I can’t even eat my vegetable soup whenever I remember the vivid photos of the procedure of cooking such kind of soup dish documented by local reporter-photographer in one of the town of Canton (pronounced Guangdong), a Chinese place famous for its noodles.
The shocking news circulated in China as early as year 2008.
Baby Herbal Soup
The reasons behind the making of the so-called baby herbal soup is health and sexual stamina. It is an unusual delicacy that is steamed/boiled with chicken meat and mixed with expensive herbs for at least eight hours. It costs about 4,000.00 dollars (or more than a hundred thousand yuan, currency in China. So, only the wealthy or the rich could afford this kind of delicacy.
The Revelation of a Factory Manager
When asked by a reporter, a local factory manager who was already 62 years back then testified that he is a regular customer of the baby herbal soup. He remarried again to a 19-year old woman (now 20) and the soup made his libido or sex prowess alive.
He took the reporter to the restaurant when he was informed by the manager that the “spare rib soup”, code name for baby soup was already available.
The Horrible Reality in China
The one child policy of China brought danger and fears to families who wanted more babies.
One case was stated that there was a couple who had already two daughters and the woman became pregnant again. She had no choice but to abort the third baby which according to the ultrasound was also a girl.`
There are costs or prices for babies according to certain situations. If the baby dies a natural death, the buyer will pay for 6000 yuan. Those aborted ones cost a few hundred yuan. If a couple don’t want to sell their dead baby, the placenta will be a good alternative and be bought for two hundred yuan. (I thought, placenta is also an ingredient for a special soap used by women.)
Reporter's Comment
The reporter who covered this shocking event commented that the concern of Chinese government on health and one child policy backfired on them. The policy emphasizes on having male babies that forced families with female babies to sell them or leave them in an orphanage.
Lost in translation
I cannot read Chinese, much more write it. I understand a few words like Ni hao ma (How are you?) or thank you (shezhen). I don’t know; I’m really bothered by the article made by the local newspaper in Canton.
What happened or existing in that town is really sickening. At least, you already have an idea about what is happening in China nowadays. Exotic or fancy food? I’ll better stick to vegetables and familiar dishes that I know.
Valuable links
I was not the only one who featured this kind of hoax, a revelation that can put a nation to shame because an email scam continues to circulate in many parts of the world everyday.
- Ethical Martini, the name of the blog site featured the title 'Baby Herbal Soup' last June 3, 2008 and updated it last February 4, 2009. Urban legend meets email scam to the fullest!!!
- Ba Kut Teh: The China Way of Cooking Hoax also denounces the email scam.
- The site, charonboat.com, features pictures of gruesome origins, like killings or execution, humiliating the dead ones, suicide, et cetera, including the pictures of the so-called Baby Herbal Soup.
There are about 22, 700 searches regarding the topic: Baby Herbal Soup in China. It was even featured in many television shows and forums, as well, like in Singapore, the rest of Asia, US, Europe and other parts of world. The news was really sensational, that until now, it created too much stirs and fright to those who have seen the pictures.
When a documentary about Zhu Yu and other "transgressive"Chinese artists in the UK way back 2003 was aired on television, people complained in a terribly upset tones.
A channel 4 spokesman still aired the interview with Zhu Yu and his colleagues, although the public reacted negatively about it.
Zhu Yu was heard quoting: "No religion forbids cannibalism."
"Nor can't I find any laws that prevent us from eating people. I took advantage of the space between morality and the law and based my work on it."
Mr. Yu claims to be a Christian and further said that religion plays a major role in his work.
So there. Are there any proof that this hub is true?
I think, this is not a hoax anymore.
CommentsLoading...
It's really shocking to see those pictures. It invokes rage against those who don't have respect for those unfortunate babies. This is not a hoax for me anymore, travel man.
That's the other word for horrible, CV Rajan. And it is really depressing by just looking at the pictures. Scam or not this is such a horrible thing to do to all those unwanted babies and fetuses in China. More often than not, unwanted fetuses here in the Philippines are dumped into the garbage site. Such a waste of life because there are individuals who are so irresponsible and didn't want the burden to carry and rear a child.
Is this really true? It's so shocking. I think I had to vomit!
It took me a while to type in the right wording to get a hit on snopes which is one search site that tries to separate truth from fiction and here is what I found:
disgusting, horrible, inhumane! OMG.. I can't look at these pictures again.
Thanks, Peggy. I've also seen the site of www.snopes.com. There are many rumours that have been blown up and believed to be true by people who've seen it at face value. We are judgemental but there are basis when we react be it positively or negatively to a certain data given to us. Just like this one. Really, humans are the most ferocious creature on Earth.
Thanks for the comment, thesailor. Judging the pictures of my hub at face value, you will really believe that this is true. That's why I categorized this hub to Knowledge and Wisdom so that we will dig deeper and understand why this is happening nowadays, especially in China (if this is really true).
Bacville, sometimes. the reality is stranger or more scary than fiction. Even here in the Philippines, there were news last year about a man slaughtering his wife and cooked it just like a normal dish for him. Local residents and authorities just discovered the missing wife when the man admitted his evil deed. It was even covered by the tri-media (print, radio and tv) in our country.
Genrp, I cannot blame you to react like that. Even I csn't forget those pitiful fetuses that were utilized as a special dish in China. Even their artist Zhu Yu was seen doing the same thing, eating this forbidden soup. Have you heard the news that newspapers or cartoons are being mixed in a soup dish in China?
really? no I haven't heard of that yet.
It was reported on television news patrol. When I was in Dalian, China, just near Beijing, we've heard of the so-called exotic foods. We (along with my co-sailors) were invited to try eating something weird, like pickled snakes, fried cicadas, scorpions, locusts or even sea horse and starfish. I didn't go because I don't want to try it.
What a crazy hub! I'm still trying to get those images out of my head!
That's true, Michael Shane, but I have to convey this hub to clarify this topic. Many others did what I did on their blogs and other sites.
ya keep on!! one day humans will eat their own body parts. The Earth is now bleeding, at that time she will die due to her own children the HUmans!!
He is the real life cannibal so government shoud do something for these fu--ing people.Otherwise we have to do sm thing
I just can say, that this person who made or eat this DISGUSTIN soup they will go to HELL!!!
U`R MURRDER !! HATE U U HAVE NONE HOLINESS!!!!SHAME ON U !!I AGRREE WITH ENY THAT PPERSON GO TO HELL ((((((((((((((((((((
savages! how could you?! You are psychologically sick people! You don't understand what you've done!!!
OMG...what's this???????its very terribly...what r u doing???U should afraid from GOD
All of you will burn in hell, God's justice will punish you with his burning fire...Ruthless beasts!!!!!Because of you i'll hate Chinese people...
F............... CK U
"?????"
Funny this translates as TAIWANESE businessmen in guangdong.
Thanks for the meaningful insight, forensics. Variety of comments were posted here, but you have a greater understanding of what humanities are experiencing nowadays.
Mankind is evolving, taiyaba. This hub just expound on the data circulating in the cyberworld about the expose being done by mediamen in China. Let's not judge all of them. Every human's heart has its soft spot for life.
Eny, this hub never promote eating babies but presented the facts that are happening in the world today. When I did this, I'm not stereotyping Chinese people because I have Filipino-Chinese friends. Some of them bring drugs to the Philippines, but this 'baby soup' thing? I'm still asking why they're doing this to helpless, innocent babies; if this is true.
ANGY, I agree with you. There are people who are considered MURDERERS, especially those who treated harmless children, even unborn children, like this. Those who aborted their babies are among those CRIMINALS.
MARISH, either you hate Chinese or not, their political situation is the one that aggravates situations like: ONE BABY POLICY. Drastic moves are being done to those aborted helpless babies, like what's inside in this hub.
HASUK, this is really an OMG thing. They will be accountable of what they've done or been doing to these helpless unborn babies.
VARUJAN: Don't hate Chinese because of me. I'm just presenting interesting data from the net for quite some time since 2005. There's two sides of the coin, the yin and yang of nature, so on and so forth. Some people will take a news or an article just as it is written. I hope you're not like that. Researching is a way to broaden our knowledge about the things we encounter everyday. Just like this hub.
TEMO: Please don't hate me. Better read this hub, completely, then you decide whether an informant like me should be hated by revealing this 'baby herbal soup' thing.
@welcylx23: !!!!!!!!! Really? How can you say that this was done by Taiwanese businessmen in Guangdong, China? Please, elaborate on this.
yUmMy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@kim: By just saying the word 'ýUmMy', do you imagine yourself committing this horrible act? Abortion is the number one crime committeed to unborn children...and this one is an abomination-without respect to human lives. Imagine the world if all people will commit an act like this.
oh my God !this is disgusting!!!i hope this isnt truth!Oh shit i..i cant believe this...ewww i think ill throw up!!!oh yuk yuk yuk!omg give some respect to the poor babies!dont EAT them!!!!how did you!!may these poor babies rest in piece...
@Vicky 58: I just researched it, Vicky. True or not, they should give more respect to the unborn. With the on-going one-China policy, more and more heinous acts like this will happen in the future.
Just 2 words : insane, inhuman.
They say he is a Christian or whatever...i dont believe in these things but something is gonna happen to this guy for sure either from his god or from something else.this shows how much respect ppl have for their own kind.this shows how inefficient our governments are.the first post was 6 months ago and ppl are still discussing it here.shouldnt there be already some actions taken against this guys doings?
@Hendrick: It's true. With the RH Bill in the offing here in Philippines, the scenario on this hub will not be inevitable if irresponsibility takes in on premarital sex among teenagers.
@John: Haven't you noticed the links? With all due respect, you better read my hub first before you go into a wrong conclusion.
I'm going to be sick. We have long known that the one-child policy would backfire in unforeseen ways. This is Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" come to life, minus the satire. On a side note, I read a book about China called China Wakes, in which I read that around 250,000 female babies are *not* born in China every year. The number was arrived at by comparing live birth rates of males to females in nearby countries versus China.
Thanks for bringing it up, Kotori. When I was in Dalian, China (in 2007), the kind inspector/loading master (we unloaded fuel cargo) nearly told me this kind of situation. Just a slip of the tongue, he said that he also wanted to have a daughter but it is strictly prohibited. When I asked, why?---he was interrupted by his co-worker.
The book: China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power by husband-and-wife reporters Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDUnn is both engaging and alarming, like the chapter you've mentioned about the unborn female babies.
As the inspector concluded, the 'One China Policy' is a very delicate topic to tackle with. I think this hub is one of the reasons why they're so secretive about it.
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Thanks, praveenu. I'll check your interesting website. I'm sure it is providing benefits to interested student/applicants online.
yuks
Glad, you've found it, yuan. I hope you elaborated on your comment.
what a horrible pic....omg!!!!
@liyana: That's what my first and last impression, too! Is it really a hoax or not? I've been receiving hate messages here; but I'm just the researcher-writer' not the doer of this horrible act.
well Chinese people represent everything awkward, at the very beginning i thought that this is a sick joke, but later on a watched a documentary about that, they think that eating babies gives them some kind of sexual strength, these people est dogs!!!! rats, shit too i say that they should be wiped by an atomic bomb, these bastards OMG da hell with them, we should cut all kind of economical, social and political relation ships with these yellow faces, zipped eyes short midgets.
@Andree: We, most of us humans, respect lives especially babies. Due to personal beliefs, people tend to bend ideas on how to gain personal gratification. I don't want to be racist and yet this hub continues to draw hatred among the Chinese due to this email pics that were included here.
I researched it's authenticity to support the article. The media and our personal opinion about them will create biased opinion according to what we perceived about them.
Oh My God.. what is happening with Humans ?Im SHOCKED and Trying to come out of this ... Very ashamed
@Yami: HUmans transcends the limitation of being the creation of Supreme Power or God. Some people tend to act like god as if they can do everything without limitations. Such self-centered attitude such as this is best described as arrogance and an act of disrespect to the highest level of life here on Earth.
Humans eating humans...many films depicted this kind of act of cannibalism. Thanks to the think-tank of Hollywood and related film studios. It clearly influence such outrageous act.
YAKI..
@OLIVE..yeah it's so yucky that, if this is/was true...these people will be damned for eternity.
Travel: My manners for the moment are null and void.. OMG and WTF... Some programs I watched on the History channel about China made me realize very quickly it is one place I will never go... What I saw with the treatment of Dogs, criminals was like you said still so vivid in my mind to this day! They lined up all the criminals in a row, hung a number around their necks and on national TV shot each one in the back of the head, had their organs immediately removed and sold! YES on the history channel. The dogs well don't even ask me.... I still get sick... I however appreciate your hub. It makes one wonder if it is true. I do not want to go to snopes to find out. . YIKES!!
@Mrs. J.B: When our tanker ship discharged cargo way back 2007 at the port of Dalian (near Beijing) the maritime city, some unscrupulous Chinese boarded our vessel and opened our cabins one by one looking for valuable things. They said, they cannot speak English, but with the security system we are implementing during the operation, they were immediately sent out. No valuables were lost but that incident taught us to never leave the gangway of the ship vulnerable of illegal entry against some undocumented locals (they say they were stevedores). We have to check first their IDs and names from the papers before they can enter the accommodation of the ship.
Good thing, this hub still exists, although warning have been sent by moderator (Ads disabled) due to some mature contents (had to remove the grim photos and videos).
I don't have to rewrite this. I personally know that such incident exists in the mainland China.
This is because of that one-sided One China policy that forces some Chinese to flee and stay far away from their country.
You'll also wonder why there are many illegal Chinese families who were able to land at the shores of my country (Philippines). Some even boarded commercial ships as stowaways, just to escape the grim situations there.
Interesting.
@nicolerkilpatrick: Thanks for the hub-visit!
This people should be arrested
@54Cayo: Perpetrators are still at loose. Although, it's been shared by international media around the world, I cannot even attached its photos here because of the warning imposed by HP management. I understand that this hub can affect the lives of the innocent Chinese people who don't even know that this kind of bizarre activities exist.
hoax !
you people are stupid.all the pictures are the same his real name was not mentioned,not on the news
go to youtube hateusawarcriminals watch the video.
@itsahoax or hoax: Stupidity becomes you for leaving a post like this. This is a well-researched hub that even television networks responded about this strange facts happening in mainland China.
cruel hoax
sailorman do the world a favour go kill yourself buy a gun pull the trigger or get a rope. hang it high,jump off a bulding. if it was real why did only one person see it only one person goes to china?
why did'nt seoul times buy a video camera?
to make a real video.sailorman you're stupid can't you f**king read the name was mentioned on top .on the hoax sites the real name was not mentioned.
all bullshit lie it's not true fake!
kainin mo tae ko!.filipino eats duck fetus it's called balut egg why are you a such an ahole it's a hoax!
ff*cking filipino what the f*ck are your trying to prove ?
Negative comments flock this high-rated hub in my account as contributor on HubPages.
I hope you would not take this information against me.
@stupidpeopleitsahoax - Do you really think so? Why would international media waste their time on this topic. Read on!
@sailormanisretarded - Are you??? Better check yourself and let's see who succumb to your allegations.
@f*ckingfilipino - Cannibalism is the bottomline of this so-called hoax.
I hope I answered all your rhetorics. Please reveal yourselves. Don't hide inside your shell, spitting sands of lies that will not help those who were involved in this very gruesome information.
this is unbelievable. I wish i didn't see those images. now i can't get those images out of my head. WTF! they are not human
@erfan: By publishing this hub, it nearly cost my reputation as a true-bloodied blogger/hubber.
Thanks for sharing my sentiments. In, time, this info will just be a pigment in our memories.
(Just a warning when you travel unfamiliar coasts of this country.)
I wanna taste it... I sounds pretty delicious, and the baby is already dead!
im serious...
@Toril: Some people may even want to try this, just like you said.
I am hinted to write about a true account regarding cannibalism here in the Philippines.
It's been a kind of urban legend among the military that one group is considered to be cannibals as they eat their enemies and even share it to the local residents where they are assigned.
C.V.Rajan Level 2 Commenter 2 years ago
DISGUSTING.