Guangdong Villagers Sell Bags of Fresh Air to Tourists

By Jocelyn Richards, March 22, 2016

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We have it pretty good here in the south. Pollution levels rarely rise above PMI150, and when they do, the smoggy air usually lasts about a day before monsoon rains sweep away the filth.

Still, a group of minorities (or villagers in costume, who really knows?) in northern Guangdong province decided to profit off the gray skies last weekend and swindle a few desperate urban dwellers.

This past Saturday, as crowds of tourists headed to scenic parks for what they expected to be a complimentary breath of fresh air, they instead met groups of local vendors selling packaged bags of the stuff. 

bags-of-air

The villagers claimed the puffed up plastic bags (which sold for RMB10-30 each) held prized oxygen captured from the purest depths of the mountain valley.

Many fell for the campaign, awkwardly cradling dozens of ballooning air bags down the mountain as they left.

breathing-bags-of-fresh-air

This isn’t the first time ingenious vendors have sold fresh air to China. Last December, Canadian company Vitality Air sold canisters of ‘Rocky Mountain air’ on Taobao for around USD10-20 each. Representative Harrison Wang told MailOnline they sold out almost instantly after listing the product on Chinese e-commerce sites.

As recently as February, British entrepreneur Leo De Watts racked up thousands of dollars by selling pricy bottles of British country air (USD115 per 580ml glass jar) to Chinese residents. 

british-sells-bottles-of-air

[Images via CCTV and CNN] 

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