Sichuan Bans Private Smoking of Cured Meat, Ignites Public Outcry
In many regions of China, smoked cured meat is a specialty food, especially popular during the Chinese New Year, with a long and rich tradition. Recently, the local government in Sichuan banned the private smoking of cured meat citing environmental reasons and imposed penalties on a sixty-year-old man who smoked cured meat at home, sparking public discussion.
According to reports from Hongxing News and Jixiang News, a netizen posted on social media that a sixty-year-old man in Guang’an City, Sichuan Province was fined 200 yuan (RMB) by the local community under the guise of “education management fee” for smoking cured meat at home.
The netizen shared a handwritten guarantee and a handwritten receipt, signed by a villager from Jinshi Community in Guang’an District, Guang’an City.
The guarantee stated: “It was wrong for me to smoke cured meat at home last night. I now realize my mistake and promise not to smoke cured meat at home in the future. If I do not comply again and am found smoking cured meat at home, I am willing to accept any punishment.” The document was dated December 25, 2024.
The handwritten receipt displayed by the netizen showed that a resident from Jinshi Community received an “education management fee for smoked meat” of 200 yuan. Netizens criticized this as arbitrary charging.
On January 3rd, the Xie Xing Town government responded to the incident, stating that around 10 pm on December 24, 2024, staff from the city and district ecological environment bureau found a villager from Jinshi Community smoking cured meat outdoors at home during an inspection for pollution prevention. The community then charged him an education management fee of 200 yuan.
The reason cited for the fine by the authorities was based on the “Notice on the Free Centralized Environmental Smoking of Cured Products in Guang’an Main Urban Area in 2024,” which prohibits any organization or individual from smoking cured products outside designated areas in the main urban area of Guang’an.
After the incident was exposed, officials claimed they had returned the 200 yuan to the villager.
Regarding the unauthorized fines by the official agency mentioned above, Lawyer Zhu Xue from Beijing Strategy (Nanjing) Law Firm stated that Jinshi Community is not an administrative institution and does not have the authority to impose administrative penalties. As Jinshi Community lacks enforcement power, any fines imposed by them are likely illegal.
Some netizens commented, “It’s outrageous to go to such lengths for a mere 200 yuan. Who has given these institutions such arrogant and ignorant power? This is extortion and abuse of power in disguise and should be severely punished as robbery!”
Others said, “Just by looking at the receipt, it’s obvious these scoundrels are preparing for collecting New Year fines! It’s clear they have no authority even without a proper stamp.” “According to the authorities, many traditional folk cultures, crafts, and customs in China are at risk of being cut off.” “The main reason is that local finances cannot support so many idle people, so they each think of ways to fine for money.”
In recent years, various incidents of unauthorized fines under different pretexts by official CCP institutions have drawn widespread criticism.
On November 2, 2024, in Shouxian County, Huainan City, Anhui Province, a villager named Mr. Gu was fined 30,000 yuan by the Huainan transportation law enforcement department for allegedly “engaging in the transportation of dangerous goods on the road without a permit” while he was buying diesel fuel in a small truck to fuel agricultural machinery during the busy farming season. The incident sparked public attention and criticism of the arbitrary fees imposed by government departments.
Furthermore, public information shows instances of farmers being fined 50,000 yuan for slaughtering a pig, fined 100,000 yuan for making a profit of 14 yuan from selling celery, fined 110,000 yuan for earning 21 yuan by selling vegetables, a Beijing bun shop fined 15,000 yuan for selling tofu brain, with over 7,000 yuan confiscated; a restaurant fined 5,000 yuan and confiscated 119 yuan for selling cold skin.
Sichuan local government has previously employed grid personnel to frequently inspect households, prohibiting locals from “squatting and eating on the ground” under the pretext of “changing customs,” and households with kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms that do not meet official requirements will be fined.
Behind the arbitrary fines and fees imposed by CCP official institutions lies the financial difficulties faced by local governments. In times of financial strain, fine revenue has become an essential part of the financial income of CCP local governments and the most common administrative enforcement action at all levels of government.
Data released by the Chinese Ministry of Finance showed that in the first 11 months of 2024, national general public budget revenue saw a year-on-year decline, with tax revenue declining by 3.9%, while non-tax revenue (including fine income) increased by 17%.