In 2010, Chinese authorities uncovered a major food fraud operation in which 'gutter oil'—recycled cooking oil from restaurant waste and sewage—was being refined and sold for human consumption. The scandal exposed the dangerous practice of recycling waste oil, which contained toxic substances and carcinogens. It led to a nationwide crackdown and increased public awareness of food safety issues.

The gutter oil scandal was a shocking revelation that inspired a wave of investigative journalism and literature in China. Poets and writers used the incident to critique the failures of regulation and the moral decay of a society driven by profit. The scandal also became a symbol of the broader challenges of food safety in a rapidly industrializing nation.