A Chinese millionaire is reportedly trying to capitalise on his country's worsening air pollution problem by selling canned fresh air.
According to reports published in Business Insider, Chen Guangbiao, an entrepreneur worth $740 million has started selling cans of fresh air for people to crack open and suck in.
Rapid industrialisation has covered northern China in a dense soup of toxic chemicals.
The concentration of airborne PM 2.5 particulates — the smallest and most deadly — went off the chart for the second time this month, according to pollution gauge at the American Embassy in Beijing.
Photos: The ideas that made $100 million
Guangbiao believed to be one of China's richest individuals, has begun selling "fresh air in soft drink cans" for about 5 Chinese Yuan ($0.80) a pop under his registered trademark “Good Person Chen Guangbiao.”
He said he would donate 0.10 yuan to charity for every can sold.
According to one report, they come with atmospheric flavours including “pristine Tibet, post-industrial Taiwan and revolutionary Yan'an.”
According to the BBC, Beijing has reported air quality readings that show pollutants present at 20 times the recommended limits; visibility has been reduced and residents have been advised to stay indoors.
NASA satellite photos show a thick grey haze that has led to the densely populated plains of North China becoming invisible from outer space.
In an interview last year, Chen said the air is put into pull-tag cans he invented, with a chip in each can.
The air is not compressed – he said his staff need only swing their hands three times to push the air into the can.
When there is enough air, the chip will make the cap close automatically.
According to Chen, "Open the can and three deep breaths will allow you to have a good mood and a clear mind."
However, the move has met with critcism and sacrcasm online with a number of blogs questioning Chen's right to sell air that doesn't belong to him.
And if sending the proceeds to charity wasn't enough to convince people to buy his canned air, a Chinese website reports Chen also told users to hold on to the empty cans, as he will buy them back in 10 years for about $7 each.
Chen is known for his charitable publicity stunts, including handing out earthquake victims 100 yuan bills and taking out a full page add in the New York Times that equated Japan's territorial claim to the Senkaku Islands (known as Diaoyu in China) with Japan claiming Hawaii.
Photos: Biggest product flops of all time. Photo: Getty Images
Yahoo!7 Finance Calculators:
20 Comments
Hi Rusky, If you read my comment very very very very carefully and think then, you should realise very very very very easily that my comment is referring to two particular guys but not to everyone ( I am calling one particular guy stupid by giving a bottled water example because he started and saying to the other not to use abusive language which was blocked as #$%$ ). I did not call everyone who using bottled water stupid if you read my comment carefully. As you have mentioned, tap water is not free but compare the price differences between them although they are exactly the same water ( scientically analysed) since you brought up this argument. However comparing two waters was not my intention of leaving my comment here. It is the choice of individuals whether buying bottled water or aluminium can air, you should not call them by any names. Because of the security reasons, the water treatment area is not freely available for public to tour educating public how safe and sophisticated of treating water for us to drink and hoping others to realise not to waste too much water on unnecessary gardening as the water is chemically treated in expensive manner. We should all contribute to make the quality of tap water better rather than depending on bottled water if possible. We are living in a different era for god sake, a black couple giving birth to white babies that we are living in. Ship all the chinese stuffs back to china? Then all the apple products including iPhones if you guys can afford one, dump back to china because they are all manufactured in china, designed in america? K-mart, target or other cheap store level shoppers can see lots of cheap chinese products there but if you upgrade your level a bit you will see the different world of expensive products from all over the world including china. Upgrade yourself before calling others by the name that can be applied to you only. Next time please read the comment properly before reply.
ReplyDuring the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the government ordered factories within Beijing and Shanghai, as well as outside city limits to be closed. Factory owners and workers were compensated by the government. That is how the air pollution problem was solved, during those two all important money-making events that lured so many foreign tourists' dollars. China could clean up its air and water pollution, but getting rich quickly, driving the latest sports car, while their wives and girlfriends show off their latest LV is more important.
ReplySeptember will be a great month - finally get rid of the lying communist mongrels
ReplyReply to Jules_G ...... Better the possibility of **** for brains than to guarantee it if you vote for Abbott the A-****.
ReplySpaceballs. :)
2 Replies