Empty Bottles Scattered Across the Bridge
Yangtze River Faces the World's Worst Pollution
As groups of Chinese people have been repeatedly spotted bringing large amounts of bottled water and pouring it into the Yangtze River, the reason behind this behavior is known to be 'superstition,' sparking controversy locally. On the 14th (local time), Chinese media Jimu News and others reported videos showing people gathered on a bridge over the Yangtze River pouring large quantities of bottled water into the river. In the video, dozens of bundles of bottled water were prepared in front of the bridge railing, and the people opened each bottle and poured the contents into the river. Empty bottles were scattered around the bridge.
A group of Chinese people carrying large amounts of bottled water and pouring it into the Yangtze River has been repeatedly spotted, and the reason for this behavior is known to be due to 'superstition,' sparking controversy locally. Jimu News
The media explained, "There has been a superstition that releasing fish into the Yangtze River brings good fortune," adding, "Recently, as fishing activities have been banned in the Yangtze River, people have been pouring bottled water into the river instead of releasing fish." Since fishing activities are prohibited in the Yangtze River, people are performing a ritual of pouring bottled water into the river instead of releasing fish.
Chinese media outlets such as Jimu News reported a video showing a large group of people on a bridge over the Yangtze River pouring a massive amount of bottled water into the river. In the video, dozens of bundles of bottled water were prepared along the bridge railing, and people opened each bottle one by one and poured the contents into the river. Photo by Jimu News
The Yangtze River management office stated, "We immediately sanction any act of pouring water into the river when discovered," and added, "We do not encourage such wasteful behavior of bottled water and will continue to monitor whether similar incidents keep occurring." Chinese netizens who saw the video responded with comments such as "This is serious water waste" and "Nothing should be poured into the Yangtze River."
Meanwhile, the Yangtze River, the longest river running through China and appearing almost like a sea, is the most polluted river in the world. Along this 6,300 km river that runs through inland China, more than 40% of the Chinese population lives. Major cities such as Shanghai and Nanjing are located along the Yangtze River, leading to extreme pollution from various trash and wastewater. Among these, the dolphins that were once only found here have disappeared.
Known in Chinese as Baijidun, the so-called 'Yangtze River dolphin' was loved in China and called the 'Panda of the Sea' or the 'Goddess of the Yangtze River.' However, as their numbers gradually declined, the Chinese government declared them extinct in 2007. Since then, starting in 2021, the Chinese government has taken measures to prevent pollution of the Yangtze River and protect the environment and wildlife by restricting new factory construction around the Yangtze River and banning fishing activities.
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