Since early 2011, Gui Zhentang, China's largest bear bile medicine producer, has been trying to apply for stock market launch on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Last year, the application was turned down as a result of netizens’ protests.
This year, the company tried to mobilize public support by securing the support of the Association of Chinese Traditional Medicine, which accused animal rights activists of conspiring to western imperialism. Currently, netizens continue to protest against bear bile harvest business and 96% of public opinion is against the further expansion of bear farming in China.
If Gui Zhentang manage to obtain new capital by being listed in the stock market, they will expand the number of bears living in torture from 400 to 1,200. China Bubble Watch has more background about bear farming industry in China:
Bear bile is considered a precious ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine. Despite the fact that there are already synthetic alternatives that prove to have the same medical effects as bear bile, companies like Gui Zhentang still kept moon bears (an endangered species in cages, cut a hole in their stomach and stick a tube into their gall bladder to drain bile from them everyday. NGOs like Animal Asia and End Bear Farm have detailed documentation of such cruel practices on their websites.
Bear farming is a huge and highly profitable industry in China, there are 68 registered bear farms, more than 20,000 caged bears, which provide ingredients to 153 kinds of traditional medicines that are being produced by 186 pharmaceutical companies (according to a report by China Business Network).
In order to counter public opinion against their cruel business, Gui Zhentang has secured support form the Association of Chinese Traditional Medicine, which on February 7, 2012, issued a letter asking media outlets to censor negative information about Chinese medicine:
The Chinese Traditional Medicine Association's letter to media outlets via Sina Weibo user Nancy
To oppose Western interests from promoting inappropriate competition behavior and continue the Traditional Chinese Medicine legacy by developing farming businesses so as to protect people's medical needs, the Association of Chinese Traditional Medicine urges the following:
1. Strengthen the objective and positive image of the Chinese medicine industry by promoting the achievement of Chinese Traditional Medicine and businesses, such as Moon Bear bile harvest. By means of technology intervention and active promotion, help the public to develop a sense of pride in Chinese Traditional Medicine and legacy.
2. Optimize information by deleting and screening out that which misleads and portrays a negative image of the Chinese Traditional Medicine industry. Attack those opinions that are misleading and untrue.
Sina Weibo user Nancy is outraged [zh] by the statement:
以此信函看来，这不是协会，完全是邪会呀！要用技术手段推广宣传活熊取胆的报道，这技术手段是什么？最不要脸的是要对活熊取胆的报道屏蔽，删除，我说邪会您真好意思，这么明目张胆光明正大的搞这些歪门邪道，这种不要脸的精神哪里来的，这跟归真堂说“反对我就等于反对国家”一个路子嘛！
Soon after the news about Gui Zhentang's IPO application came out, netizens launched a series of online and offline campaign against the application and expansion of such businesses. Blogger Don't eat friends has posted [zh] the protest photos in the Sina Weibo forum to raise public awareness.
Poster on the Sina Environmental Protection Poll
Sina Environmental Protection launched an online poll [zh] about Gui Zhentang's stock market application on February 9, which so far has gathered more than 12,081 participants, 96% against the company's expansion. Below are some typical responses to the the bear farming business under the poll's comment thread:
过冬河蟹 ：坚决反对。人性泯灭丧尽天良。凌迟处死也就一炷香的工夫。这样虐十年，tmd下手的人晚上怎么睡得着。(2月11日 4:06)
不想开学滴某丶西 ：怎么归真堂的高层领导们不也关在小笼子里每天和熊住在一块，熊抽一次胆汁可爱的领导们也抽一次，你们能挺多久公司就上市多久。多好，公平交易。(2月10日 20:10)
吉思教育 ：活取熊胆，惨无人道，这样的企业如果也能上市，中国的良心何在！(2月10日 14:16)
小荷恬恬 ：反对！！！我们不能因为一己之利而残杀无辜的动物！熊胆就像鱼翅，完全可以用别的东西代替，为什么还要破坏这个已经千疮百孔的大自然呢？！(2月10日 10:34)
