Guangzhou PSA: 'Relevant Authorities,' Where's the Actual Regulation?!
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Hello, friends!
I am back in Guangzhou on a business trip!
- It has been 13 years since my last visit here (around 2012, when I was still a student attending an event at the university), time flies!
- This time around, everything feels great with comfortable weather, neither cold nor hot. The musical fountain near Canton Tower (known as the "Little Waist" among locals) is mind-blowing at night!
- Met up with some old classmates and friends that I haven't seen for ages, we had a great chat, which made me feel really good. Also learned a lot of new things during the conference.
However, hehe, let's move on to complain a little bit:
I was planning to return today, but heard about how authentic the Gold Mountain Road farmers' market (selling fresh ingredients, with a genuine local vibe) was, so I wanted to check it out and buy some specialties.- Here's what happened:
- I bought fish gelatin (a dried seafood product, considered a specialty here due to its rich gelatin) and dried abalone from a store on the street level of Gold Mountain Road farmers' market.
- I have never cooked it before and don’t eat much of it, plus it’s quite expensive. So, I selected a very small amount, thinking I’d bring some home to try.
- The shop owner and his assistant (a young man wearing a black T-shirt) were quite enthusiastic, insisting on helping me cut it. I agreed, okay.
- Then, here comes the “key trick”! The young man took a seat and started cutting. Afterward, he moved the bag containing fish gelatin behind the counter - out of my sight - then poured it into another bag, handed it over with a weight measurement request.
- I immediately felt something was off; the fish gelatin bag noticeably had too much content! After weighing, oh my god, nearly two pounds (almost one kilogram)! I only chose a little bit, there’s no way it could be this much!
- I seriously suspect they added more fish gelatin secretly behind the counter while I couldn’t see their little tricks. As customers stand outside the counter, they can't see such actions happening (I call the hidden spot where they do such tricks A-spot).
- I talked to them about it. The owner seemed guilty, saying if it was too heavy, just take less...”
- I managed to spot, standing at a door angle near the store, a big bag of pre-cut fish gelatin at A-spot below their counter (I'm sure it was prepared in advance for cheating). I asked the young man to show me the contents, causing him to panic and ramble.
- I said, "Nope, I don’t want this thing anymore, your business isn’t honest enough!" Of course, the boss wasn't willing to let me go; I dialed the police number (110) and consumer complaint hotline (12315). After spotting my actions, the boss immediately let me leave...
Travel tips to avoid scams:
- Beware of "sneakily switching items": When buying dried goods (e.g., fish gelatin, sea cucumbers) in markets, especially when vendors offer to process the items for you (like cutting, repackaging), be vigilant.
- Keep a close watch on your items: Avoid letting goods out of sight, particularly before weighing and payment steps. If vendors must handle items unseen, insist on processing within your sight or buy items requiring less complicated processing.
- Refuse everything in doubt: If the weight or price exceeds expectations or any suspicious activities by sellers, feel free to refuse the purchase.
- Remember to seek help: For fraud incidents or disputes, dial China's emergency number (110) or consumer complaint hotline (12315) (some cities may use 12345).
Although it didn’t cost me anything, this incident left a rather disappointing impression. In fact, Guangzhou had made a great impact on me previously and this experience just soured it.
A city needs both modernity and reliable local life experiences (the sense of warmth) and such fraudulent behaviors should be strictly dealt with, zero tolerance. -
Does fish maw need to be cut?
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The shop owner told me cutting it would make cooking easier and eagerly offered to help. It wasn't until later that I realized they cut it so they could mix in some of their pre-cut (or even broken) pieces of fish maw with my purchase...
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Taojin Road is an old residential area, and businesses selling fish maw there mostly cater to local, repeat customers. Generally, these dried seafood shops are well-established, often over a decade old, to survive. They wouldn't dare rip off customers, or they'd go out of business. Also, they usually won't cut valuable items like fish maw before you pay. So, I'm a bit puzzled by your experience. Plus, you don't typically find unlicensed street vendors selling dried seafood there, as locals usually buy from trusted shops they've frequented for years.
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Look, scams and dishonest people exist everywhere in the world. There's no need to blame an entire city. You seem mature enough to understand that simple fact.
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Besides, I suspect this shop uses shills! You know, like those street chess games where they have a few people in the crowd hyping things up. When I first passed by this stall, I saw a middle-aged woman picking out fish maw. After I went into the market, wandered around for a good 20 minutes or so, and came back to this stall, she was still there! Still holding the same three or four pieces of fish maw. But, right when I started to make my selection, she suddenly sprang into action. She stopped fussing over her choices, declared she'd take two jin (about a kilogram), and then just stood there without paying, seemingly waiting for me to complete my purchase first. What followed was the argument I described earlier... (Sigh, just documenting things on Xiaohongshu sometimes.)