Editor's Note

Hmm, Fei Yu is also puzzled as to why Master Kong politely invited the protagonist of the video to visit its mainland factory instead of suing her for defamation. Can anyone explain?

Source: 'Seeing Taiwan' WeChat public account

Statement Regarding 'Seeing Taiwan' Being Sued by Master Kong

Dear readers,

In May 2015, we started operating the WeChat public account 'Seeing Taiwan', hoping to showcase a multi-dimensional Taiwan to our readers from various aspects such as travel, food, cultural creativity, folklore, audio-visual content, and people. We have taken everyone to appreciate Taiwan's geographical attractions and taste Taiwan's specialty cuisine; we have brought you Taiwan's cultural and creative spirit, allowing you to experience the long-lost traditional humanistic care; we acknowledge and respect Taiwan's positive contributions to cultural heritage, and we also do not hesitate to poke fun at Taipei's "wave-field Yui" bus card.

We have continuously brought mainland friends to see Taiwan—its beauty and its shortcomings—providing readers with a real and objective view of Taiwan, enhancing communication and understanding between compatriots on both sides of the strait. This is also the original intention of 'Seeing Taiwan'.

Until a month ago, Master Kong Instant Noodles Investment (China) Co., Ltd. filed a lawsuit against 'Seeing Taiwan' on charges of "infringement and rumor-mongering," demanding compensation of RMB 1.5 million (approximately NT$7.5 million).

The Fuzhou Jin'an District Court (Yuefeng) held a hearing

The cause of the matter is as follows:

  1. On August 3, 2015, 'Seeing Taiwan' published an article titled "Black-hearted Master Kong, Can You Escape the Joint Siege of People Across the Strait?" which reposted the "female tour guide video" along with a few comments.
  2. On August 5, 2015, based on the related topic, 'Seeing Taiwan' published an article titled "Master Kong Incident Escalates: Is CCTV's Swift Action Crisis PR?" which reviewed the comprehensive boycott of Ting Hsin Group from the government to the public in Taiwan due to the "gutter oil issue." The article cited news materials from multiple media outlets including Phoenix Finance, NetEase Finance, The Beijing News, and Taiwan's ETTV, SET News, and China Times Electronic, to provide a factual account of the incident. The article concluded with reflections on cross-strait food safety issues and suggested that the mainland should learn from Taiwan's preventive and punitive measures regarding food safety.
  3. In the lawsuit, Master Kong demanded that 'Seeing Taiwan' and three other defendants each compensate for "economic losses" of RMB 1.5 million.

Facing Master Kong's lawsuit, we are somewhat puzzled:

  1. According to statistics, there are 500,000 WeChat public accounts with more than 50,000 followers nationwide. At that time, how many "influential" public accounts were reposting this "female tour guide" video? How many celebrity microblogs with millions or even nearly ten million followers were forwarding and calling for a boycott, causing the incident to escalate rapidly? Why did Master Kong favor 'Seeing Taiwan' and other small public accounts that were sued?
  2. In this lawsuit, the four defendants (including 'Seeing Taiwan') are all relatively unknown public accounts, one of which is registered under a local liquor store. Each defendant is being sued for RMB 1.5 million. How could these four small public accounts with extremely limited influence attract such attention from Master Kong and be held directly responsible for a total of RMB 6 million in "economic losses"?
  3. Master Kong sued 'Seeing Taiwan' over the article "Black-hearted Master Kong, Can You Escape the Joint Siege of People Across the Strait?" Why did it use the article "Master Kong Incident Escalates: Is CCTV's Swift Action Crisis PR?" (which mainly reports on Taiwan's nationwide boycott of Ting Hsin Group and reflections on cross-strait food safety issues) as the primary evidence? Which article is more difficult to swallow?

In 2013, Ting Hsin Group claimed there were no food safety hazards. In 2014, some products authorized by Master Kong and using its trademark were involved in the inferior lard scandal. Eventually, through the "female tour guide" incident in 2015, it fermented and spread in the mainland. Master Kong first insisted that the female tour guide in the video was "spreading rumors," then publicly invited her to visit its mainland park through the media, and finally took no further action (investigation, lawsuit, or criminal investigation) against the Taiwanese female tour guide who was the "originator of the rumor." Instead, it sued "Ke Xiaoyang," the first Weibo poster of the video, and then, when autumn leaves fell, began suing unknown mainland public accounts.

Self-media can be "folk media, a supplement to official media, and a voice for the grassroots."

Self-media can also be "self-righteous weeds cackling" or "nothing at all."

If the public account 'Seeing Taiwan' had reported with distorted facts based on any malicious intent, then this article would be too pale and weak. However, if 'Seeing Taiwan' reported based on facts but lacked professionalism in its methods and rigor in its wording, leading to partial imbalance or inadequacy, we sincerely ask every reader to supervise and urge 'Seeing Taiwan' to grow and improve.

But "questioning voices" should never, and must not, be labeled as "distortion and rumor-mongering."

In China, food safety issues keep arising. The Constitution grants citizens freedom of speech, and freedom has always been a responsibility. The Consumer Rights Protection Law stipulates the right to public supervision, and supervision has always been a responsibility. When our compatriots, our relatives, and our friends have long been weary of food safety incidents and loopholes, shouldn't we say or do something for our children and future generations?

Here, 'Seeing Taiwan' sincerely asks all readers and friends to pay attention to this case. In the coming period, 'Seeing Taiwan' will shift its focus to this case. We hope you can continue to support us as always. We apologize for the irregular posting during this time.

Thank you, and we are grateful!

Mr.Ben 2015-11-23

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