What Does the People Eat as Heaven? -- An Investigation into the Current Situation of Food Safety in China

Author: Zhou Qing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-02-06
Features: After the cover story "What Does the People Eat as Heaven?" was published in the authoritative reportage magazine Reportage in China's mainland in September 2004, it was selected by the "Book and Periodical Digest" of the Central Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee. It played a positive role in improving China's food safety environment. It was also included in the 2004 China Reportage Annual. The story was published by media such as Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, China Women's News, Huashang Daily, and Youth Reference. It was reposted by more than 30 domestic and international websites, including Newsbox, The Observer, China.com, Sohu, and Sina. In 2006, it was shortlisted for the biennial German "Ulysses International Reportage Literature Award" as one of seven candidates. The entire work still deeply moves the heart. Salt, which the Chinese people consider the top priority in their "Seven Daily Necessities," has become a frequent cause of poisoning incidents: Sichuan pickles, which Sichuanese take pride in, are sometimes made with "DDVP." The owner of a pickling factory said, "We never eat the pickles we make; we only give them to outsiders." At a high-level food safety symposium held in Beijing recently, experts pointed out that the actual number of food poisoning cases in China each year is at least 2 million, and "about one-third of cancers are caused by diet." Due to the effects of food additives (hormones), early puberty is rapidly approaching Chinese children—7-year-old girls menstruating and 6-year-old boys growing mustaches are common occurrences; male sperm concentration has dropped from at least 50 million to 30 million. The book reveals in detail the process of making counterfeit and substandard food, warning people to pay attention to the inhumane practices in food safety. The language style of the book reduces the common exaggeration and promotion found in China's general "reportage" to a minimum, primarily adopting a calm and objective narration. The author's tone becomes even calmer when facing more terrifying events, sometimes even just citing numbers, thereby highlighting the impact of the facts themselves to the extreme. It can be said that in this book, literary awareness has successfully served the reporting, enhancing its depth and power.