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Image of a Chinese spittoon being sold on Amazon as a “1960s Chinese Antique Kitchen and Table Decoration Enamel Bowl” for champagne, fruit or vegetables. Photo: Amazon

Bowls for spit marketed as fruit baskets by Chinese sellers on Amazon for up to 20 times the local price

  • Also traditionally used as chamber pots, the bowls, known as ‘tan yu’ in China, have been seen online marketed as ‘Chinese traditional antiques’
  • An investigation found the Amazon sellers were mostly based in mainland China, according to addresses attached to sellers’ profiles

A traditional enamel “fruit basket” sold on e-commerce giant Amazon for up to 20 times the price paid by people in China has sparked hilarity online after its real use was revealed - as a traditional spittoon or chamber pot.

 

The “fruit basket” for sale – as it is described – went viral after a social media user posted a photo of the “Chinese traditional antique” online with a sale price of US$62.

 

Advertised as a decorative bowl to hold vegetables and fruit, the item was also found in other online shops with suggested uses being an ice bucket or for decorating the kitchen. 

But it wasn’t just the high price tag attached to the item, traditionally known as a tan yu in China, that had internet users surprised, but also that the humble pot would be of any interest to foreigners. “I wonder what foreigners’ reaction would be after knowing what tan yu is used for in China,” one person wrote on the WeChat social media app.

 

An 18th-century tan yu, used as a spittoon or chamber pot. Photo: Shutterstock

Made of enamel, the vessels are sold for as little as 20 yuan (US$3) on Chinese shopping platform Taobao.com, but on Amazon, canny sellers are asking between 10 and 20 times as much, with prices ranging from US$30 to US$62, the South China Morning Post found. (Taobao is owned by Alibaba, which also owns the Post).

The pots were widely used throughout Chinese history for people to spit in when in public spaces such as hospitals, office buildings and schools. They were also used at home for families to urinate in before the introduction of household plumbing.

The sellers are based in China. It’s an apparent hoax by Chinese on foreigners
Comment posted on WeChat

The country’s booming economy and improved lifestyles in recent decades have meant these old-fashioned items are no longer necessary, with most homes now boasting modern conveniences such as toilets.

Hawking their unique wares, online sellers neglected to mention their real use, with one suggesting the “fruit basket” would allow users to enjoy a nostalgic trip back to the 1960s.

The vessels are typically painted with a pair of mandarin ducks and the Chinese character xi which means happiness. They are often given as gifts to newlyweds.

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An investigation found the Amazon sellers were mostly based in mainland China, according to addresses attached to sellers’ profiles. 

Sales have, however, fallen short of expectations, according to results online, but some WeChat users have expressed a yearning for their past prompted by images of the tan yu.

Others were not so impressed, believing the sellers were trying to trick unsuspecting foreign buyers.

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“It basically is a vessel and it’s OK for any use. But I think the sellers should reveal clearly its use in its original country,” one user said.

 “The sellers are based in China. It’s an apparent hoax by Chinese on foreigners,” another said.

 

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