550 Pounds of Fish Were ‘Mercifully’ Released Into the Waters of Beijing—and Then Died

The river was too dirty for them.
550 Pounds of Fish Were ‘Mercifully’ Released Into the Waters of Beijing—and Then Died
Chinese residents release captive fish into Daming Lake. Sina Weibo
Juliet Song
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On April 25, a group of people in Beijing taking part in a Buddhist folk ritual poured about 550 pounds of live fish into the Chaobai river to accrue virtue through their acts of mercy. The activity lasted about ten minutes, with some reciting Buddhist scriptures as others threw the fish out of buckets.

But the deed turned out to be anything but merciful, as the fish, weighing about three pounds each, could be seen struggling and dying in the low-quality waters of the Chaobai.

People release fish into the Chaobai river. (via Beijing Evening News)
People release fish into the Chaobai river. via Beijing Evening News
Juliet Song
Juliet Song
Author
Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.