China’s ‘goose leg auntie’ in hot water for using duck meat

Prepared ducks are hung to be cooked at a restaurant in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo)

A viral Chinese food merchant dubbed “goose leg auntie”, famed for her roadside barbecue, has sparked a national scandal when she admitted that for years she had in fact been selling cheaper duck meat.

The vendor, whose real name is Chen Xiufeng, sent shockwaves across the Chinese internet when she wrote on social media late Tuesday that someone had complained about the discrepancy.

“From now on, I will write it clearly for everyone,” said Chen, who has since halted sales and is now the subject of a regulatory investigation.

Millions reacted in anger on social media platform Weibo, drawing the attention of local market regulators who launched a probe on Thursday for “suspected misleading of consumers.”

“False advertising and huge profits,” one Weibo user complained, suggesting Chen should be jailed.

While China is no stranger to food scandals, Chen’s image as a down-to-earth labourer has struck a nerve, said Manya Koetse, a Sinologist and founder of the Eye on Digital China newsletter.

“At the heart of it was her having such an authentic story,” she told AFP.

Authorities may now seek to make an example out of Chen given her fame, Koetse added.

Chen, who is in her 50s, sold barbecued delicacies in Beijing for over 15 years but shot to fame in 2023 when large queues for her meat formed outside the prestigious Tsinghua and Peking universities.

Since then, she has sold roasted legs across Beijing through social media and was invited to speak at Peking University’s “Women’s Development Forum” in 2024.

As goose legs can cost more than double the price of duck in China, many online accused her of deliberately misleading consumers for profit while cultivating a humble image.

“I’ve never seen such a brazen person,” one Weibo user commented.

“Shouldn’t auntie pay the students back?” another wrote.

Chen told local media she had switched from goose to duck legs years ago due to stock availability.

“Calling myself ‘duck leg auntie’ didn’t sound right to me, so I said I’d stick with ‘goose leg auntie’,” she told state-affiliated media outlet China Newsweek.

“I didn’t intentionally deceive them, why would I?”

But as the scandal snowballed, state broadcaster CCTV weighed in to call her misrepresentation “sinister” and “chilling.”