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SINGAPORE (The Straits Times / ANN): If you thought that the “traditional Chinese fruit basket from the 1960s” that sold for C $ 68.45 (Singapore $ 72) on Amazon did not seem appropriate for the dinner table, I’d be right
The item for sale is in fact a urinal or spittoon, which is commonly used in Chinese households as a mobile toilet for people to defecate or spit. And it’s sold on the US-based online shopping platform for more than 10 times its normal price in China.
Similar spittoons are sold on the Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao for just 28 yuan ($ 5.70).
The enamel product adorned with a pair of mandarin ducks and the Chinese words symbolizing “double happiness” in red was advertised on Amazon as a Chinese antique with a wide range of uses, from being a fruit and vegetable holder to a bucket. of ice, or a decorative display stand.
It was also recommended as a good gift for housewarmings and weddings, with photos showing that it is used to store French breads, as well as to hold a bottle of wine on ice, set classy next to a glass of champagne on a glass table. wood.
The listing described the item as an ancient Chinese fruit basket with “beautiful colors and patterns” representing “traditional Chinese culture” and “symbolizing the happiness of life.” Its “large storage space can store any fruit,” he added.
Amazon’s list went viral after an internet user posted it on Chinese social media marveling at how the humble Chinese urinal was being so appreciated by Westerners.
The hashtag “the other ways a spittoon is used” has received more than 50 million views and comments on Sina Weibo, the Global Times reported.
“$ 60? I can’t believe my childhood potty is more valuable than I am,” commented one Internet user.
The list went viral after an internet user posted it on Chinese social media marveling at how the humble Chinese urinal was being so appreciated by Western shoppers.
“I hope that no one from other countries will buy this ‘basket’ and send it as a gift to their Chinese friends because no Chinese would be happy if they saw a spittoon delicately packed with fruit,” said another.
A third internet user wrote: “It’s really interesting to see how things can be used differently in other cultures. As long as buyers like it, it shouldn’t matter what they were ‘originally’ used for.”
The list has since been removed from Amazon. – The Straits Times / Asia News Network
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