(Reuters) - It's the end of a school day in the eastern Chinese city of Dongyang, and eager parents collect their children after a hectic day of primary school.
But that's just the start of busy times for dozens of egg vendors across the city, deep in coastal Zhejiang province, who ready themselves to cook up a unique springtime snack favored by local residents.
Basins and buckets of boys' urine are collected from primary school toilets. It is the key ingredient in "virgin boy eggs", a local tradition of soaking and cooking eggs in the urine of young boys, preferably below the age of 10.
There is no good explanation for why it has to be boys' urine, just that it has been so for centuries.
The scent of these eggs being cooked in pots of urine is unmistakable as people pass the many street vendors in Dongyang who sell it, claiming it has remarkable health properties.
"If you eat this, you will not get heat stroke. These eggs cooked in urine are fragrant," said Ge Yaohua, 51, who owns one of the more popular "virgin boy eggs" stalls.
"They are good for your health. Our family has them for every meal. In Dongyang, every family likes eating them."
It takes nearly an entire day to make these unique eggs, starting off by soaking and then boiling raw eggs in a pot of urine. After that, the shells of the hard-boiled eggs are cracked and they continue to simmer in urine for hours.
Vendors have to keep pouring urine into the pot and controlling the fire to keep the eggs from being overheated and overcooked.
Ge said he has been making the snack, popular due to its fresh and salty taste, for more than 20 years. Each egg goes for 1.50 yuan ($0.24), a little more than twice the price of the regular eggs he also sells.
Many Dongyang residents, young and old, said they believed in the tradition passed on by their ancestors that the eggs decrease body heat, promote better blood circulation and just generally reinvigorate the body.
"By eating these eggs, we will not have any pain in our waists, legs and joints. Also, you will have more energy when you work," said Li Yangzhen, 59, who bought 20 eggs from Ge.
The eggs are not bought only at street stalls. Local residents are also known to personally collect boys' urine from nearby schools to cook the delicacy in their homes.
The popularity of the treat has led the local government to list the "virgin boy eggs" as an intangible cultural heritage.
But not everyone is a fan. Chinese medical experts gave mixed reviews about the health benefits of the practice, with some warning about sanitary issues surrounding the use of urine to cook the eggs.
Some Dongyang residents also said they hated the eggs.
"We have this tradition in Dongyang that these eggs are good for our health and that it would help prevent things like getting a cold," said Wang Junxing, 38. "I don't believe in all this, so I do not eat them."
Surely this is trolling. Right guys? Right??
I do not think this ritual is really a case of communism vs capitalism, nor atheism vs Christianity.
They are atheist in China, but Ill change it for you.
Yeah, I am on ignore.. but I'll point out to you anyway.
One is free to practice any religion in China. The Government of China is Atheist.. not the people.
Western medicine = moronic. Are people really that stupid?
Western medicine = moronic. Are people really that stupid?
Even though you are on ignore for the time being I read this considering your anti-Christian hostility.
People are not free to practice any religion in China unless they have the express consent of the Government. If your beliefs are not sanctioned by government and its practice carefully controlled by the communist party (they select Catholic bishops in China, not the Church, etc), you could be jailed indefinately if not outright KILLED.
That's incredibly disgusting.
Communism does seem to bring with it a vacuum of belief and a lack education that gets filled with the crudest sort of superstitious nonsense. The same kinds of things were also prevalent in the Soviet Union. This particular tradition would predate communist China if it's been going on for centuries though.
Even though you are on ignore for the time being I read this considering your anti-Christian hostility.
People are not free to practice any religion in China unless they have the express consent of the Government. If your beliefs are not sanctioned by government and its practice carefully controlled by the communist party (they select Catholic bishops in China, not the Church, etc), you could be jailed indefinately if not outright KILLED.
Youre not talkting to someone who doesnt know any better "busydude". If you want to read what happens to people who dare to practice their faith in China check this out -
http://www.loyola.edu/amnesty/chinapers.htm
Religious Persecution In China
The Chinese Communist Party does not tolerate religion. Due to its Marxist sympathies the Party simply eradicates those religious institutions that do not support its Communist agenda. Only those religious groups that support the Chinese Communist Party are allowed to exist. These institutions are made up of puppet religious leaders that promote the Communist Party. Religious leaders who do not follow the Chinese Communist Party are imprisoned or sent to labor camps. Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims are all persecuted. The US State Department has studied the issue and stated the following in their 1998 human rights report on the Peoples Republic of China:
Unapproved religious groups, including Protestant and Catholic groups, continued to experience varying degrees of official interference and repression. The Government continued to enforce 1994 State Council regulations requiring all places of religious activity to register with the Government and come under the supervision of official, "patriotic" religious organizations. There were significant differences from region to region, and even locality to locality, in the attitudes of government officials toward religion. In some areas, authorities guided by national policy made strong efforts to control the activities of unapproved Catholic and Protestant churches; religious services were broken up and church leaders or adherents were detained and, at times, reportedly beaten. At year's end, some remained in prison because of their religious activities. Citizens worshiping in officially sanctioned churches, mosques, and temples reported little or no day-to-day interference by the Government. The number of religious adherents in many churches, both registered and unregistered, continued to grow at a rapid pace. In Tibet the reeducation campaign aimed at monks and nuns was renewed, as was a rhetorical campaign against the Dalai Lama. (State Department 1)
In particular, Christian groups have been severely persecuted. Catholic missionaries are treated terribly by Chinese officials. The Chinese send many defiant religious leaders to labor camps. Devout Christians are often persecuted in a land where atheism is forced upon the people. The Chinese are ruthless in their continuing efforts to stamp out Christianity.
Free the Fathers, an organization founded to help imprisoned and fugitive Christian leaders, says ths about Chinese religious persecution:
Over 200 Priests are still in prison in China today. Some are in forced labor camps, where they quarry rock, clear land, or labor in rice paddies. The Chinese Authorities are known to use hideous tortures on their Priest prisoners. Some have been punished by being kept in handcuffs 24 hours a day. Protestants are also persecuted. Thousands of "House Church" members, mainly Baptists, Presbyterians, and Pentecostals, have been arrested and sent to labor camps.(Facts About Free the Fathers)
Recently China has begun to destroy temples and many places of worship. The use of tanks and combat troops to destroy religious centers is not uncommon. The number of temples that have been destroyed is astonishing. The Chinese even destroyed churches during the Christmas season. According to articles on Frank Lus website www.89-64.com
China is demolishing hundreds of churches and temples as it cracks down on unauthorized worship in a southeastern coastal area known for its flourishing religious life, officials said Wednesday. A Hong Kong human rights group put the number of destroyed buildings much higher, at 1,200. The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said the buildings, some more than a century old, were being dynamited. Authorities in eastern China have demolished a 100-year-old temple as part of a campaign that has led to the destruction or closure of up to 1,200 places of worship, officials said Wednesday. The United States said Thursday it was "appalled" after it was reported that China had closed and even blown up a string of unauthorized temples and churches on the eve of the Christmas season.( China Blows Up Churches and Temples in Religious Crackdown)
In China the crackdown on religious institutions is extremely brutal. People are sentenced to prison for the sole reason of worshiping something other than the Chinese Communist Party. Those Chinese that are arrested because of their religious beliefs are beaten, tortured, and killed by Chinese Police. Here are some shocking stories from various articles on Frank Lus Website.
A member of an underground Protestant church has died after being beaten up in prison, a rights group said. Police detained Liu Haitong in a raid on a private home serving as an underground church in Jiaozuo city, Henan province, on September 4, the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said yesterday. Beaten by police and left weakened by the prison's inadequate food and poor hygiene, he began vomiting and developed a high fever, the centre said. It reported that the 19-year-old died in the county jail on Monday after police refused to provide medical care.(Protestant Dies after Jail Beating)
Im glad we celebrate the Christian Easter holiday in America that uses clean decorated Grade-A eggs vs. this bizarre ritual.
Even though you are on ignore for the time being I read this considering your anti-Christian hostility.
People are not free to practice any religion in China unless they have the express consent of the Government. If your beliefs are not sanctioned by government and its practice carefully controlled by the communist party (they select Catholic bishops in China, not the Church, etc), you could be jailed indefinately if not outright KILLED.
Youre not talkting to someone who doesnt know any better "busydude". If you want to read what happens to people who dare to practice their faith in China check this out -
http://www.loyola.edu/amnesty/chinapers.htm
Religious Persecution In China
The Chinese Communist Party does not tolerate religion. Due to its Marxist sympathies the Party simply eradicates those religious institutions that do not support its Communist agenda. Only those religious groups that support the Chinese Communist Party are allowed to exist. These institutions are made up of “puppet” religious leaders that promote the Communist Party. Religious leaders who do not follow the Chinese Communist Party are imprisoned or sent to labor camps. Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims are all persecuted. The US State Department has studied the issue and stated the following in their 1998 human rights report on the People’s Republic of China:
Unapproved religious groups, including Protestant and Catholic groups, continued to experience varying degrees of official interference and repression. The Government continued to enforce 1994 State Council regulations requiring all places of religious activity to register with the Government and come under the supervision of official, "patriotic" religious organizations. There were significant differences from region to region, and even locality to locality, in the attitudes of government officials toward religion. In some areas, authorities guided by national policy made strong efforts to control the activities of unapproved Catholic and Protestant churches; religious services were broken up and church leaders or adherents were detained and, at times, reportedly beaten. At year's end, some remained in prison because of their religious activities. Citizens worshiping in officially sanctioned churches, mosques, and temples reported little or no day-to-day interference by the Government. The number of religious adherents in many churches, both registered and unregistered, continued to grow at a rapid pace. In Tibet the reeducation campaign aimed at monks and nuns was renewed, as was a rhetorical campaign against the Dalai Lama. (State Department 1)
In particular, Christian groups have been severely persecuted. Catholic missionaries are treated terribly by Chinese officials. The Chinese send many defiant religious leaders to labor camps. Devout Christians are often persecuted in a land where atheism is forced upon the people. The Chinese are ruthless in their continuing efforts to stamp out Christianity.
Free the Fathers, an organization founded to help imprisoned and fugitive Christian leaders, says ths about Chinese religious persecution:
Over 200 Priests are still in prison in China today. Some are in forced labor camps, where they quarry rock, clear land, or labor in rice paddies. The Chinese Authorities are known to use hideous tortures on their Priest prisoners. Some have been punished by being kept in handcuffs 24 hours a day. Protestants are also persecuted. Thousands of "House Church" members, mainly Baptists, Presbyterians, and Pentecostals, have been arrested and sent to labor camps.(“Facts About Free the Fathers”
Recently China has begun to destroy temples and many places of worship. The use of tanks and combat troops to destroy religious centers is not uncommon. The number of temples that have been destroyed is astonishing. The Chinese even destroyed churches during the Christmas season. According to articles on Frank Lu’s website www.89-64.com
China is demolishing hundreds of churches and temples as it cracks down on unauthorized worship in a southeastern coastal area known for its flourishing religious life, officials said Wednesday. A Hong Kong human rights group put the number of destroyed buildings much higher, at 1,200. The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said the buildings, some more than a century old, were being dynamited. Authorities in eastern China have demolished a 100-year-old temple as part of a campaign that has led to the destruction or closure of up to 1,200 places of worship, officials said Wednesday. The United States said Thursday it was "appalled" after it was reported that China had closed and even blown up a string of unauthorized temples and churches on the eve of the Christmas season.( “China Blows Up Churches and Temples in Religious Crackdown”
In China the crackdown on religious institutions is extremely brutal. People are sentenced to prison for the sole reason of worshiping something other than the Chinese Communist Party. Those Chinese that are arrested because of their religious beliefs are beaten, tortured, and killed by Chinese Police. Here are some shocking stories from various articles on Frank Lu’s Website.
A member of an underground Protestant church has died after being beaten up in prison, a rights group said. Police detained Liu Haitong in a raid on a private home serving as an underground church in Jiaozuo city, Henan province, on September 4, the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said yesterday. Beaten by police and left weakened by the prison's inadequate food and poor hygiene, he began vomiting and developed a high fever, the centre said. It reported that the 19-year-old died in the county jail on Monday after police refused to provide medical care.(“Protestant Dies after Jail Beating”
Have ever been to China? That tl;dr you posted is patently false. The person you quoted is completely correct. The government is atheist, but the people can choose worship whatever god they want, with the exception of anti-government falun gong, anything else is completely okay.
OP is nuts and his link is ridiculous, but you're a bit inaccurate here. My dad is a tech exec who works in China, and who also happens to be Christian. The Chinese government does select the church leadership for Christian denominations, only allows government-sanctioned churches to exist, forbids foreigners to attend church with native Chinese, and does arrest and imprison people for participating in non-government-sanctioned churches. I know people that work with the underground church in China. This is pretty real stuff.