Guizhentang Pharmaceutical Company
People's Republic of China | |
|---|---|
Number of locations | Hui'an County |
| Website | www |
Guizhentang Pharmaceutical company (
Company
Background
Guizhentang was established on December 18, 2000.
The company is a family-run business.
Extraction
The company said the bile extraction process has gone through three generations. In the first generation, a bear is killed and the bile is taken.[2] In the second generation, techniques came from North Korea in 1984 where "live bears" are used.[2] Tubes are stabbed into the bear for extractions. The third generation is the present techniques where the tubes are smaller, and there are other refinements.
2011 stock list controversy
In 2011 Guizhentang attempted to list on
2012 stock list controversy
Early challenges
On February 1, 2012, the company appeared on a list of 220 companies waiting for approval to go public at the
A public invitation was announced to let the public see the extraction process in February. Hours after the invitation was posted, the company's website was hacked.
Guizhentang made a public list of journalists allowed into the invitation without prior consultations.[10] According to members of the Nature Conservancy's North Asia, they said the company could be putting on a show.[10] The company did not allow AFP and foreign journalists to enter.[10] Later the company also contradicted this by saying anyone is allowed on invitation day.[7] Some of the people invited to the opening felt the event was a trick.[7]
Animal rights group claims
According to Animals Asia Foundation the process involves inserting a catheter into the bear and cause serious suffering.[8] The group have also pointed out that 100% of the bears rescued from the process would develop liver cancer.[11]
Company claims
In 2012 the company is known for claiming the bile extract process cause the bear no pain.[8] They have said "the experience is quite relaxing and the bears are not hurt" [3] Zhang Zhiyun is known for responding to journalists: "You are not a bear. You don't know if it is painful."[12] This has caused heated debates online.
The company argued that their method of extracting bile was legal in the PRC and replaced older methods where the bear had to be killed first.[8] Qiu Shuhua said that "extracting bile is legal and approved by the government since 1995. To be against Guizhentang is equivalent to being against Chinese state."[13][14]
Traditional Chinese Medicine claims
Head of the China Association of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Fang Shuting said China has 68 licensed bear farms and more than 10,000 bears farming for bile, that can sell for 4,000 yuan a kilogram.[8][15] Fang have insisted "that the bears are quite comfortable during the extraction process. The tube is injected into the bear and the bile is pumped out like a faucet. The bear can keep playing while being extracted." Internet users have threatened that if the tubes are so comfortable, the president should have the tubes injected into him.[16] There have been ties shown between TCM association members who make profit off this company.[16]
Xin Yan, a doctor affiliated with Guang'anmen hospital, China's leading institution in the practice of TCM, said that heparin is also extracted from intestines of pigs and ox's lungs, and the manufacturers are listed on the stock exchange.[9]
Other analysis
Phoenix Television have pointed out a quote from Karl Marx where he said for a profit margin of 300% in a capitalist system, one will commit any crime. Guizhentang has achieved this maximized margin per bear for years.[17] The company also openly calls their bile juice a "name brand" in the market.[17]
Guizhentang do not breed the most bears, as there are 10 other companies in the country that breed more in Heilongjiang and Yanbian.[4] In South China, Guizhentang is the largest.
Weibo controversy
On Feb 23, 2012 a
asking the animal rights group Asia Animals Foundation to disclose their finances.The message has since been proven to be fake. Lee made it clear he did not ask the animal rights group to disclose their finances,[18] while Pan Shiyi has said it was a made-up rumor.[19]
2012 Shenzhen store protest
On 26 February 2012, a small protest was held at a Guizhentang store in Shenzhen. The protesters were interested in saving the bears and were against the company going public.[20] There have also been many doctors making their case against the practice claiming there are legitimate substitutes, that actual bile from bears are not needed.[20] To counter the protests, some have said this is a "capitalist game" of blocking companies from going public. Additional comments are made that this is no different than being cruel to chicken and ducks.[20]
CCTV interview
On 26 February 2012, China Central Television journalist Chai Jing interviewed Qiu Shuhua in the investigation programme The Insight. Regarding the statement about being against the state, she said what she is doing is completely within the policy of the government. The entire process fits the requirement of the state down to the manufacturing. She does not understand why there are oppositions to the statement.[2] The journalist points out the far tighter animal rights laws today compared to 30 years ago, Qiu said there is not much to be said about that. Qiu have pointed out the environment is like a kindergarten, where the bears can play when they want. The journalist said that bears are continuously wounded from the tube. Many of them die of infection and liver cancer. Qiu responded that just like a family, people get sick, even doctors get sick. Qiu insisted the bears are raised to be healthy, so that they can produce the best bile juice in the country. The method to test whether the bears are healthy is to see whether they eat. There are no exams.[2]
Qiu believes that since 1993 she has taken bears from other regions, such as
There were also questions regarding photo evidence of tortured bears. But some of them may not have been Guizhentang bears. Animal rights group AAF representative Zhang Xiaohai made it clear it is not Qiu Shuhua that we hate, but the entire bear bile farming industry.[2] A Guizhentang worker then tried to demonstrate the extraction process and compares it to milking a cow.[2] An argument started over whether painkillers are used. The worker kept insisting the process has no pain, and claims the journalist is not a bear.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "业内人士称受舆论影响归真堂上市前景再生变数" [Controversy Looms as Guizhentang Prepare for IPO]. Beijing Times. Archived from the original on 2015-06-08. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "归真堂创始人哭诉被陷害：早知道这样就不搞上市" [Guizhentang Founder Speaks to State TV Over Bad Practices]. QQ.com. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d "归真堂熊场开放 姚明为被救黑熊剪指甲呼吁关爱动物" [Yao Ming Visits Guizhentang Factory]. Nbd.com.cn. 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ Phoenix New Media. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ^ "张志鋆：投资人对归真堂上市非常乐观" [Guizhentang Board Member Looks Forward in IPO]. Finance.21cn.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ^ a b Zhang, Ke (23 February 2012). "Bear battle in China: vicious debate over extracting bile from live bears for traditional chinese medicine escalates as Animals Asia Foundation attacked". China Dialogue. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ a b c "归真堂活熊取胆表演原是大忽悠" [Exposing Guizhentang's Bear Bile Circus]. Xinhua News Agency. 2012-02-20. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Anger over bear bile company's fundraising bid". People's Daily. 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ a b David, Alexander (23 February 2012). "Bull Market for Bear Bile Leads to China IPO: Adam Minter". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ a b c "Yao Ming visits sanctuary - China company opens bear bile farm to media | Kuwait Times". New.kuwaittimes.net. 2012-02-22. Archived from the original on 2012-02-26. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ Cui, Yan (2012-02-23). "归真堂基地开放" [Guizhentang's Factory Open for Access]. Tianjinwe.com. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ^ "归真堂："你又不是熊怎么知道熊会痛"" [Guizhentang Boss Says Bile Extraction "Cause No Pain"]. Finance.qq.com. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ^ "反活取熊胆是反国家，归真堂扣帽子唬谁？" [Guizhentang's "Unpatriotic" Claim Fools No One]. Bbs.chinanews.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ "归真堂创办人邱淑花：反对我们就等于反对国家" [Guizhentang Founder Claims Company's Opposition "Unpatriotic"]. Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ Unknown[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "i-CABLE video". Cablev.i-cable.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ Phoenix New Media. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ "归真堂被指伪造名人微博公关 李开复揭造假手段" [Kai-fu Lee Speaks Out Against Guizhentang's PR Strategy]. Money.163.com. 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ^ "归真堂被指冒充名人发微博 李开复潘石屹等表不满" [Multiple Influentials Hits Back at Guizhentang]. News.cjn.cn. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- ^ a b c "归真堂深圳门店遭"围观" 志愿者扮熊模仿被取胆" [Protests Over]. News.163.com. 2012-02-23. Archived from the original on 2012-06-25. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
