‘Better to release money’: group in China pouring bottled mineral water into river for good health blasted for waste during record drought
- Fang sheng, or ‘life release to nature’ in English, has been observed in China since ancient times, with releasers believing it brings good karma
- China has been in the grip of one of the worst heatwaves and droughts in decades with lakes and rivers drying up as temperatures soared recently
As the debate in China continues over the controversial folk ritual of buying animals to release into the wild as a gesture of compassion, some people have put their own spin on the practice – pouring bottled mineral water into rivers.
Earlier this week, a group of older men and women in Guangdong province, southern China, was filmed carrying hundreds of bottles of mineral water onto a bridge before pouring the contents into a river, Greater Bay Area Video reported.
The man who took the video uploaded it to mainland social media and said the group spent around two hours emptying the bottles from about 10am to noon on September 1.
The man said the group had so many bottles they used carts to move them to the bridge, with the labels on the bottles showing they had only been bottled recently.
“I suggested they leave the water at public welfare stations so that people in need can pick it up,” said the man whose name was not revealed in the report.