In recent years, Taiwanese actress Nie Shiyun, who has been developing her career in China, recently sparked panic, as well as controversies regarding public health and legal issues, by showing off snacks on Douyin (TikTok) that she brought back to Taiwan. Surprisingly, one of the snacks was Nanjing embryonic eggs, commonly known as “live embryos,” which caused an uproar among the public. After a three-week investigation by the prevention and inspection authorities, it was confirmed that Nie Shiyun violated the “Animal Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control Regulations” and was fined 30,000 New Taiwan Dollars. All related videos have been taken down.
The incident began in early May when Nie Shiyun uploaded a video on Douyin showing various snacks she brought back from China to her family, emphasizing that they were “personally brought back by me.” To everyone’s surprise, one of the foods turned out to be Nanjing specialty, commonly known as “live embryos” embryonic eggs.
In the video, she cracked open the egg, revealing liquid flowing out, and even visible feathers, causing her mother to hesitate in trying it. However, she herself directly put it in her mouth in front of the camera, praising it as “very delicious, somewhat like tea eggs,” stirring up discussions.
As the appearance of the egg still showed bird embryos and liquid egg whites, some footage was reposted by netizens to social media platforms, catching the attention of Democratic Progressive Party legislator Huang Chieh, who then reported the case to the Ministry of Agriculture and the police for investigation.
After inspecting the video, Taiwanese customs and quarantine authorities found that the embryonic eggs Nie Shiyun purchased should have undergone animal quarantine inspection. They are currently conducting an investigation, stating that embryonic eggs belong to poultry that should be subject to animal quarantine inspection and need to be declared upon import.
Legislator Huang Chieh disclosed that “The Taichung substation received a statement from Ms. Nie, who, on May 2, returning to Taiwan from China via Taoyuan Airport, brought back 7 cooked ‘Nanjing live embryos’ in her checked luggage, all of which were consumed at home. In this case, on June 19, a fine of 30,000 New Taiwan Dollars was imposed for violating the Animal Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control Regulations.”
After the incident was exposed, many netizens criticized that the 30,000 fine was too lenient, questioning that it lacked deterrent force on high-traffic internet celebrities, suggesting that “30,000 per egg would be reasonable,” and stating, “Her luggage should be thoroughly checked next time.” Some netizens called for stronger penalties to be in place to avoid people taking risks to gain popularity.
It is worth noting that after Nie Shiyun switched her focus to China, she seemed to have found a “traffic password,” publicly stating, “I do not support Taiwan independence. Taiwan will eventually return to the embrace of the motherland,” attracting a large number of followers. Currently, Nie Shiyun has taken down all the videos, and the related content can no longer be viewed on the social media platforms she manages.