Recently, a netizen named “Furious Brothers,” a debunking blogger, bought more than a pound of freshwater prawns at the Lianyungang seafood market. Using his own weighing device, he found it to be short of half a pound. He immediately confronted the stall owner, leading to a drama filled with twists and turns, with the “ghost scale” as the centerpiece.
As a debunker, Furious Brothers came prepared. He placed a 500-gram standard weight on the electronic scale, which showed a weight of 630 grams. Furious Brothers truthfully questioned the female vendor, “You sold me this pound for 65 yuan, and it’s missing half a pound, which is over 30 yuan!”
Faced with solid evidence, the female vendor remained composed and unfazed. She first moved the ghost scale away. As Furious Brothers approached, she quickly and without hesitation snatched the bag of prawns from Furious Brothers, tore it apart, and threw it on the ground. Destroying the crucial evidence, the female vendor suddenly became confident and threatened to “call the police.”
Furious Brothers didn’t back down. Despite losing the physical evidence, the ghost scale was still there. He chased after the female vendor to try to control the ghost scale. A dramatic scene unfolded as other vendors in the market saw what was happening and surrounded Furious Brothers. Some vendors even helped hide the ghost scale, making it disappear without a trace.
Seeing he was outnumbered, Furious Brothers had no hope of getting the ghost scale back. Luckily, he had the entire incident recorded on video. With the “video as evidence,” they warned the vendors, “You are acting tough now, but you will soon be in trouble!”
When Furious Brothers reported the incident to the market management office, several staff members threatened him directly: “Delete the video first, then I can help you handle this matter.” After Furious Brothers refused, the staff began to snatch the phone and attempt to forcibly delete the video, leading to chaos on the scene.
In a shocking turn of events, as Furious Brothers ran ahead desperately trying to preserve the evidence, a group of people chased after him, shouting, “Stop, delete the video!”
The incident sparked widespread attention online. Local authorities in Lianyungang showed indifference, further exacerbating the situation. Angry netizens bombarded the Lianyungang police social media, questioning, “Do we have to hand over our phones when visiting Lianyungang?” The police not only failed to respond but also disabled comments. Following this, official accounts such as Lianyungang Culture and Tourism, and Lianyungang Government, closed their comment sections, entering a collective silence mode.
The day after the incident, the Lianyungang City Supervision Bureau issued a report, indicating that the involved vendors had been cleared, and the individuals trying to grab the phone had been dismissed.
This attempt to brush off the matter did not sit well with the public. Under mounting public pressure, on May 19, the Lianyungang City Supervision Bureau issued another notice, imposing a fine of 30,000 yuan on the vendors, 350,000 yuan on the market, and administrative detention for five individuals involved.
On May 20, the director of the Lianyungang City Supervision Bureau personally apologized for the ghost scale incident. Following this, news surfaced that local authorities began to crack down on ghost scales in the area.
With the conclusion of this saga, the writer believes there are various aspects to consider in this drama— the boldness of the female vendor in cheating customers, the vendor’s attempt to turn the tables after destroying evidence, and collaboration among vendors to cover up malpractices. The role reversal of market managers, the intertwining of corrupt elements, and the evident interest transmission between authorities and vendors make the situation evident. The handling of the situation by the city’s supervision bureau and the community’s reaction provide a clear picture of complacency and neglect in governance.
As a result, netizens coined two labels: “City of Ghost Scales” and “Nest of Rats and Snakes.”
Located by the Yellow Sea, Lianyungang’s ghost scale controversy seemed to have made its way to Tianjin, located by the Bohai Sea. In a recent development, the market regulatory department in Tianjin launched a special crackdown on ghost scales and cases of underweight measurements in the city.
Reports indicated that the market regulatory department deployed enforcement personnel over 3,900 times and inspected 2,321 vendors, where 2,958 electronic weighing scales were examined. Five cases of violations were identified and dealt with.
This news stirred public opinion, with netizens from various regions questioning the authenticity of the data. However, the most significant voices in this matter are Tianjin locals. Let’s hear what they have to say:
“I bought a fist-sized dragon fruit for 12 yuan per pound, weighed 24 yuan, but my child clung to it, so I had to pay. It’s a rip-off.” (Little Lazy)
“They should investigate the seafood market in Hujiaxi New City, the scales aren’t accurate, and the fish bought isn’t fresh; suspected of being swapped.” (What’s your name)
“Tianjin has so many ghost scales. Stop brushing things aside. How many scrap collectors have their scales accurate? Even after reporting, no one takes action. Hope the debunkers come to Tianjin.” (Gentle Mountain PNH)
“Almost all vendors at Tanggu Jinyuanbao Aquatic Products Market are underweight, it’s a norm to cheat. They use seven-liang scales for eight-liang goods.” (Wang Er Ye 810)
“Definitely someone leaked the information, do you really believe they found five unlucky ones after so much investigation? Yeah, right!” (Colorful Drifting Bottle EI)
“No need for investigation, just seize everything directly.” (Go with the flow)
Finding only five violations out of 2,958 weighing devices? “Yeah, right!” To borrow a classic line from the late Chinese comedian Ma Sanli, “I’m just kidding you,” this description seems fitting.
In a short news piece filled with comments from Tianjin netizens, the discussions circled back to the alleged citywide practices of using ghost scales and unethical dealings. When examined closely, it becomes apparent that the issues aren’t isolated but prevalent across the country.
A common saying states, “As the leader behaves, so do the followers.” In light of this, one might say that because “the CCP has such behavior,” hence “the whole country follows suit!”
If the labels “City of Ghost Scales” and “Nest of Rats and Snakes” were assigned to Lianyungang, Tianjin, or any individual city in mainland China, the writer wouldn’t bat an eye. Yet, affixing these labels to the entire nation might strike a chord of discomfort. Not due to a few incidents of falsehood, but because 1.4 billion compatriots share this sense of loss with the Chinese Communist Party.
Recalling the era of Qin Shihuang’s unification of China, where the renowned leader set the unerring “定盘星” (定盤星 – Ding Ban Xing) on the Chinese scale. This star symbolized not just the balance but also fairness in transactions and honesty. Today, with the prevalence of ghost scales in China, one might wonder if the spirit of the Qin Dynasty’s emperor would be dismayed by the current state of affairs.
Two thousand years ago, in the era of the Spring and Autumn Period in China, the concept of weighing tools emerged. The Xin emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the country, establishing a uniform system known as “書同文，車同軌，幣同質，衡同制” (“Same laws, same currency, same measures, and same weights”). Subsequently, each dynasty followed a unified system of measurements.
Initially, the ancient Chinese defined one pound as thirteen liang. The thirteen liangs on the scale represented the Big Dipper’s seven stars and the Southern Dipper’s six stars, later supplemented with three additional stars for fortune, prosperity, and longevity, equating to sixteen stars. Each star represented one liang, making sixteen liangs equal one pound.
The first star on the scale was named the “Fixed Star,” serving as the authoritative standard. The accuracy of a scale depended on selecting the Fixed Star, signifying a good scale.
Each star on the scale served as a constant reminder that merchants should uphold honesty, avoiding dishonest practices like shortchanging customers. A slight discrepancy in measurements meant a loss of fortune, prosperity, or even life.
It is often said that Chinese culture is profound and extensive, evident even on a simple scale, encompassing the philosophy of harmony between heaven and humans, implicit in fair trade and honesty. Any malpractice risks the loss of fortune, prosperity, or life.
In March 2023, food blogger “superB太” released a video that quickly rose to the top of the trending list. In the video, the blogger, equipped with an electronic scale, visited the San Shengjie Night Market in Chengdu for a food tour. At various stalls selling fruits, boneless chicken feet, and other items, the blogger found that most vendors were under-measuring. Some vendors claimed their scales were accurate, while others outright refused to let the blogger weigh using his scale, fearing exposure.
In the comments section of the Chengdu night market ghost scale news, netizen “I Love Zhu and Gentian Orchids” remarked, “Please remove ‘Chengdu,’ thank you, isn’t this the case everywhere?” User “63985108” added, “Perhaps it’s isolated in markets with large sheds, but on the roadside, I think it’s not a matter of more or less, but 100% widespread, it’s the same across the country!” Both users agreed that these issues were nationwide.
In casual terms, the saying goes, “Line up the corrupt CCP officials, every other one is corrupt; after clearing them, there are still accidental inclusions. If all are gone, there are still wrongful judgements.” This phrase, dating back years, illustrates the prevailing corruption among CCP officials, rendering almost all officials corrupt.
As the saying goes, “If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will be crooked too.” Considering this, one might say, because “the CCP behaves this way,” thus, the country follows suit!
If the labels “City of Ghost Scales” and “Nest of Rats and Snakes” were applied to Lianyungang, Tianjin, or any single city in China, the writer would have no particular reaction. However, affixing these labels to the entire Chinese nation gives pause for thought. Not due to a few exceptions, but because 1.4 billion people should not bear the consequences of such behaviors.
Looking back, when Qin Shi Huang unified China and established the “定盘星” on the Chinese scale, he wasn’t just symbolizing balance but setting a precedent for fairness and honesty in transactions. Today, with the prevalence of ghost scales across the country, one might wonder if the spirit of the emperor would be infuriated with the current state of affairs.