Serpo
10th August 2012, 04:21 PM
Knocking off work... Entire city's shops shut in China after traders hear rumour of planned crackdown on counterfeit products By Sara Malm (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Sara+Malm)
An entire city in China has literally shut up shop as nearly all of its stores close after it was falsely reported that officials were planning a clampdown on the sale of counterfeit products.;Deven the food
Officials in Shenyang city are now begging store owners to reopen after 95 per cent of shops remain closed.
The online rumour sparked fears that the local council needed to get more revenue and had ordered taxmen to come down hard on shop owners.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F74B000005DC-59_964x601.jpg A woman walks down a street of abandoned shops in Shenyang where inhabitants now struggle to find places to buy food
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F757000005DC-599_964x607.jpg After nearly all of the city's stores closed due to a false online rumour officials are now begging for owners to re-open
But local officials have denied the story and appealed for store owners to reopen after they were flooded with complaints from residents who could no longer find shops open.
A news release on Shenyang's media bureau said: ‘Recently some small businesses closed their doors after hearing unfounded rumours.
‘This has caused many problems and we can only reiterate that these rumours are false - and there are no raids being planned.’
‘Relevant authorities have neither carried out dedicated campaigns nor imposed heavy fines.’
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F72E000005DC-397_964x598.jpg The closure has crippled the population leaving them with nowhere to purchase everyday goods and food after terrified shop-owners closed for business
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F73A000005DC-786_964x607.jpg Officials used local media to refute the claims of a crackdown on counterfeit products and assured the population of Shenyang that no raids or heavy fines were planned
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F740000005DC-855_964x607.jpg The population has taken to social media to complain about their situation posting angry comments about the lack of places to shop
The Southern Metropolis Daily said shop closures had started on 13 July and spread from there as more rumours spread about the supposed fines.
Shopkeepers questioned by local media said they would rather close their doors than lose money.
Residents in Shenyang have posted tens of thousands of angry entries on Chinese microblog Sina Weibo as well as photos of closed shops.
‘Went out for lunch at noon, all supermarkets and restaurants were closed! How will we survive?’ one user complained.
‘Shenyang is now a dead city. A city with no life and no happiness,’ complained another who said she had failed to find anywhere selling rice for five days.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F750000005DC-94_964x607.jpg One user of Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo called Shenyang a dead city with no life or happiness and said she had failed to find anywhere selling rice for five days
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2186536/Knocking-work--Entire-citys-shops-shut-China-traders-hear-rumour-planned-crackdown-counterfeit-products.html#ixzz23BV5Km99
An entire city in China has literally shut up shop as nearly all of its stores close after it was falsely reported that officials were planning a clampdown on the sale of counterfeit products.;Deven the food
Officials in Shenyang city are now begging store owners to reopen after 95 per cent of shops remain closed.
The online rumour sparked fears that the local council needed to get more revenue and had ordered taxmen to come down hard on shop owners.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F74B000005DC-59_964x601.jpg A woman walks down a street of abandoned shops in Shenyang where inhabitants now struggle to find places to buy food
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F757000005DC-599_964x607.jpg After nearly all of the city's stores closed due to a false online rumour officials are now begging for owners to re-open
But local officials have denied the story and appealed for store owners to reopen after they were flooded with complaints from residents who could no longer find shops open.
A news release on Shenyang's media bureau said: ‘Recently some small businesses closed their doors after hearing unfounded rumours.
‘This has caused many problems and we can only reiterate that these rumours are false - and there are no raids being planned.’
‘Relevant authorities have neither carried out dedicated campaigns nor imposed heavy fines.’
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F72E000005DC-397_964x598.jpg The closure has crippled the population leaving them with nowhere to purchase everyday goods and food after terrified shop-owners closed for business
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F73A000005DC-786_964x607.jpg Officials used local media to refute the claims of a crackdown on counterfeit products and assured the population of Shenyang that no raids or heavy fines were planned
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F740000005DC-855_964x607.jpg The population has taken to social media to complain about their situation posting angry comments about the lack of places to shop
The Southern Metropolis Daily said shop closures had started on 13 July and spread from there as more rumours spread about the supposed fines.
Shopkeepers questioned by local media said they would rather close their doors than lose money.
Residents in Shenyang have posted tens of thousands of angry entries on Chinese microblog Sina Weibo as well as photos of closed shops.
‘Went out for lunch at noon, all supermarkets and restaurants were closed! How will we survive?’ one user complained.
‘Shenyang is now a dead city. A city with no life and no happiness,’ complained another who said she had failed to find anywhere selling rice for five days.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/10/article-0-1479F750000005DC-94_964x607.jpg One user of Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo called Shenyang a dead city with no life or happiness and said she had failed to find anywhere selling rice for five days
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2186536/Knocking-work--Entire-citys-shops-shut-China-traders-hear-rumour-planned-crackdown-counterfeit-products.html#ixzz23BV5Km99