The "goose feet auntie" scam selling duck feet shocks China.

Famous among Beijing students for her grilled goose feet, owner Chen Xiufeng shocked many diners when she admitted that the ingredient she used was actually duck feet.

Ms. Chen Xiufeng was once invited to Peking University to share her entrepreneurial journey. Photo: Weibo.

The incident erupted after screenshots of a message from Chen Xiufeng – the woman behind the nickname "Auntie Goosefoot" – went viral on Chinese social media this week.

Within the group of customers, she admitted that the grilled feet she sold to diners were actually made from duck feet, not goose feet, after someone filed a complaint with the local authorities, according to Sixth Tone.

This information shocked many fans. According to Chinese media, the wholesale price of a goose leg is around 11 yuan (42,000 VND), while duck feet are only about 5 yuan (19,000 VND), raising accusations that customers have been deceived for a long time.

The wave of criticism was further intensified by Chen's unique position. The 56-year-old woman became a phenomenon among students since 2023 at top universities such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Renmin University of China.

Students line up to buy food from Ms. Chen in Beijing in 2023. Photo: VCG.

Students formed dozens of ordering groups on WeChat, many with hundreds of members. Meanwhile, Ms. Chen allocated only a very limited number of servings to each group. This scarcity turned grilled chicken feet into a "craze" on campuses.

As demand increased, Ms. Chen's reputation extended far beyond the university campus. In 2024, she was invited to Peking University to share her entrepreneurial journey. That same year, she partnered with the social media platform Xiaohongshu on a promotional campaign that included a free product giveaway.

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Her story also attracted the attention of many Chinese media outlets, which praised her journey from migrant worker and street vendor to internet sensation.

Just one day after the scandal broke, Ms. Chen temporarily suspended her business amid a wave of fierce criticism on social media. The hashtag #AuntieGooseFeetSellingDuckFeet garnered over 28 million views on Weibo and over 18 million views on Xiaohongshu. Many users accused her of deceiving customers and debated the potential legal consequences she might face.

Others questioned how students at China's most prestigious universities could eat duck feet for years without realizing it.

Ms. Chen asserted that she doesn't always sell duck feet.

"Initially, I was actually selling goose feet. But then the supply became scarce, so I switched to using duck feet," she told China Newsweek magazine.

According to her, the name "Auntie Goose Feet" has long become a familiar brand: "Initially, I sold fruit at Peking University, so people called me 'Fruit Auntie'. Later, I switched to selling grilled goose feet and then became 'Auntie Goose Feet' as it is today."

Many customers felt cheated when Ms. Chen sold duck feet instead of goose feet. Photo: Weibo.

Even after switching to using duck feet, she kept her nickname because she didn't like the name "Auntie Duck Feet."

Ms. Chen and her husband moved from Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province to Beijing in 2000. She used to sell boxed meals at construction sites before opening a fruit stall near Peking University.

The business that later brought her fame was a family-run operation. Her son, Liang, said the family employs two to three workers and typically grills around 500 duck feet a day, which can increase to nearly 1,000 when operating at full capacity.

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He said the business generates revenue of about 50,000 yuan (194 million VND) per month.

The family currently lives in a three-story mixed-use building in Changping District, northern Beijing. The first floor serves as both a shop and a food processing facility, while the upper floors are used as living quarters.

The incident is now under investigation by authorities. A representative from the Haidian District Market Supervision Bureau in Beijing stated that they have received relevant reports and will release preliminary investigation results once sufficient information is available.

Source: https://znews.vn/cu-lua-di-chan-ngong-ban-chan-vit-chan-dong-trung-quoc-post1659562.html