Buzz
To truly challenge yourself, skydiving might be an option. But to completely redefine your sense of normalcy, consider visiting China. Residents there are already familiar with the extraordinary, just a few yuan away from acquiring some of the most peculiar items legally available. Below are ten of the most astonishing products you can find in China. If you know of anything even more unusual, feel free to share it in the comments.
10. Live Crabs From Vending Machines
In 2010, Twin Lakes Crab Co., a Chinese crab supplier, decided that grocery stores weren’t always convenient. They introduced vending machines in Nanjing’s subway stations that dispense live crabs. Imagine a standard snack vending machine, but instead of chips and cookies, it’s filled with aerated plastic boxes containing live, active crabs. That’s exactly what these machines offer.
The crabs are maintained at a steady 5 degrees Celsius (41 F), a temperature that induces temporary stasis without harming them. Priced at roughly two US dollars, the machine also features bottles of ginger vinegar in its bottom row—a pairing akin to ketchup with fries.
9. Panda Tea
Panda Tea, crafted from panda excrement, holds the title of the world’s most expensive tea, with a dried kilogram costing around US $77,000. The appeal lies in the fact that pandas digest only about 30% of the bamboo they consume, leaving the rest in their fecal matter. Bamboo is rich in antioxidants, believed to combat cancer, making panda tea a marketed anti-cancer and weight-loss remedy.
Situated in Sichuan Province, Panda Tea was founded by Yanshi An, who launched the business with 11 tons of dung purchased from a nearby panda sanctuary.
8. Food Prepared, Cooked, and Served by Robots
Whether it’s noodles or spicy chicken, dishes seem to taste better when crafted by the precise, metallic hands of robots. This isn’t a single instance but rather three distinct examples, highlighting a rising trend in automated food service.
In 2011, inventor Cui Runquan introduced Chef Cui, a humanoid robot designed to prepare shaved noodles, a beloved Chinese dish where noodles are hand-shaved from a dough block and boiled. These robots are now mass-produced, priced at around US $2,000 each, with over 3,000 units sold.
A Shanghai fast-food chain has also embraced robots, this time as actual chefs. The primary advantage is speed: a single robot can clean a pot, mix ingredients, cook a meal, and plate it in just three minutes. The drawback? Another step toward robots potentially taking over everything.
If cooking isn’t enough, you can visit the Dalu Rebot Restaurant, where your meals are delivered by robot servers. Six robots rotate to serve all twenty-one tables before heading back to the kitchen to reload their trays.
7. Canned Air
In China, a breath of fresh air comes at a price—around five yuan. Chen Guangbaio’s new product line offers canned air, essentially soda cans filled with air. This initiative blends publicity with a commentary on China’s severe air pollution, which is so intense that haze can be seen from space in certain regions.
For the cleanest air, opt for the Pristine Tibet flavor. If nostalgia strikes, you can choose Revolutionary Yah’an or Post-Industrial Taiwan flavored air.
6. Traffic Jam Stand-Ins
With a population of 1.3 billion, it’s no shock that China experiences some incredibly long traffic jams—sometimes stretching for weeks. Entrepreneurs have capitalized on this by offering a unique service: someone who will sit in your car for you while it’s stuck in traffic.
Here’s how it works: When caught in a gridlock, you call the service, provide your location, and wait for two men on a motorcycle. One will take your place in the car, while the other escorts you to your destination. This service is primarily available in Wuhan, Central China, known for having some of the nation’s worst traffic.
5. Dwarf Tours
The Kingdom of the Little People is a unique blend of a theme park and the Shire, situated in Yunnan Province. Spanning 13,000 acres, it’s a miniature world designed exclusively for dwarfs and open for tours akin to a safari. Yes, you read that correctly—it’s as controversial as it sounds.
Created by entrepreneur Chen Mingjing, the Kingdom of the Little People is still under construction but already features over 30 small cottages for its residents and a parody performance of Swan Lake, now open to visitors. While many find the concept offensive, Chen argues it offers stable employment in a tough economy, and many residents take pride in being part of the community.
4. Obama Fried Chicken
From ethically questionable dwarf-themed parks to borderline racist branding, China offers it all. In 2011, a Beijing entrepreneur launched the first OFC—Obama Fried Chicken. The restaurant features a KFC-inspired logo with a cartoonish depiction of Barack Obama and specializes in fried chicken.
Surprisingly, this isn’t the first Obama Fried Chicken to exist—or the first time Obama’s image has been used to sell chicken in China. The original OFC opened in Brooklyn in 2009 but shut down shortly after. In a separate incident, China’s official KFC released this ad in 2011, featuring an Obama lookalike delivering a speech before being overwhelmed by a giant chicken sandwich. There’s a message here, but we’ll leave it to your interpretation.
3. Tea Picked By The Mouth Of A Virgin
Here’s something you don’t hear every day: The Jiuhua tea plantation in Henan Province employs virgins with C-cup breasts to pluck tea leaves using their lips, then drop them into a basket held between their chests.
The women are forbidden from touching the leaves or the basket with their hands. Beyond requiring C-cup breasts, the plantation also insists that the women have no visible scars or wounds. According to the company’s spokesperson, this unusual practice stems from a legend about fairies picking tea with their mouths. The tea is believed to absorb the purity and vitality of the virgins, which is then transferred to those who drink it.
2. White People
While you can’t purchase white people in China, you can rent them, which is almost the same. Chinese businessmen often hire white actors to accompany them at significant events, serving as a symbol of prestige.
The logic is that Western businesses are seen as successful (China’s perspective, not mine), so having a white person who could pass as an international business partner boosts one’s status. Sometimes the actor simply stands there, other times they deliver a speech, or even play a small role with fabricated business cards. For instance, actor Jonathan Zatkin was paid to give a speech at a jewelry store opening, praising a decade-long partnership with the company.
As Zatkin explains, “The job requirements are straightforward: 1. Be white. 2. Avoid speaking Chinese or speaking at all unless prompted. 3. Act as if you just arrived on a plane yesterday.”
1. Live Turtle Key Rings
One of the strangest items you can purchase in China is a live animal on a key ring. Typically, these are small Brazilian turtles or kingfish sealed in a plastic bubble filled with nutrient-rich liquid, claimed to sustain the animal for three to four months.
Naturally, the sealed environment raises concerns about oxygen supply, and animal welfare groups in China have rightly condemned these items as a form of severe animal cruelty. While some buy them for good luck, others reportedly purchase them to release the animals.
