The Rarest Delicacies Can Only Be Found at Huanan Market
Information from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on January 26 stated that the agency has made significant progress in tracing the origins of the nCov virus, as the virus was first detected in 33 out of 585 samples collected at the Huanan Seafood Market – a wholesale market in Wuhan. The center also noted that these viruses originated from wild animals traded there.
The center pointed out that the confirmed cases of infection in Wuhan during the early stages of the outbreak were closely linked to the Huanan Market. Investigations revealed that illegal wildlife trading was taking place in this market. Tracing and controlling the origin and clarifying the hosts that spread the virus is an important step in efforts to prevent the virus from continuing to infect humans from animals.
Xinmin Weekly raised a series of questions regarding Huanan Market: What allows a seafood market to sell wild animals? Why does the market occupy a prime location right next to Hankou train station and has been sealed multiple times without being cleared? What is the status of the owner behind this establishment? Does the Wuhan government provide “protection” for Huanan Market?
According to Xinmin, before being sealed, Huanan was the largest wholesale seafood market in the Central China region, located less than 1km from Hankou train station. According to data from the 2019 Spring Festival travel rush (a time when Chinese people return home for the Lunar New Year), the traffic through Hankou station reached 140,000 visits, with a peak day reaching 164,200 visits.
A restaurant worker in Wuhan revealed that if customers want to enjoy truly rare dishes in this city, they can only find them at Huanan Market.
Chinese media reports show that Huanan Seafood Market not only sells seafood, but is a comprehensive market with at least 8 stores selling various types of wild animals. Buyers can see on the “menu” live deer sold for 6,000 yuan each, while the cheapest is scorpions at 5 yuan each. Additionally, live ostriches are priced at 4,000 yuan each, and live peacocks and foxes are around 500 yuan each.
Wang, a restaurant owner in Wuhan and a regular at Huanan Market, said that some types of wild animals are sold at high prices but are not displayed at stalls; instead, they have fixed “import” routes, and buyers are only informed when “goods arrive.”
“Huanan Seafood Market is very large and divided into two areas: East and West. Some stalls selling wild animals are located in hidden corners; if you don’t have acquaintances to take you there, it’s very hard to find,” Wang said, adding that many restaurants in Wuhan used to source supplies from this market. The Lunar New Year period is also peak shopping time for the locals.
Wang mentioned that at Huanan Market, buyers can find countless species of animals, even Marmota squirrels that can carry the plague, alongside civets, hedgehogs, wild cats, or stolen pet dogs for meat.
However, the prosperity of Huanan Market does not come with the necessary hygiene conditions. According to Xinmin, reporters who infiltrated this market before it was sealed discovered that the stalls selling wild animals had many blood stains and unprocessed animal carcasses stored in dozens of cages.
In fact, the sale of live and wild animals at Huanan Market had previously been requested to be regulated by Wuhan authorities but has not yet been successfully implemented.
An official from the Wuhan forestry and land management agency responded to the media on January 22, affirming that they had never issued a business license for the wholesale sale of wild animals to Huanan Seafood Market. However, on January 26, an employee from this agency stated that they were still unclear and needed to further investigate the approval of Huanan Market’s license.
Who is “Boss” Tzu Chucheng?
After the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the nCov virus spread to provinces outside Hubei, the identity of the person behind Huanan Market became a top concern for the Chinese public.
Public information shows that this market is owned by the Huanan Group, with a legal entity named Tzu Diem, and shareholder Tzu Qi Zhe is the younger brother of Tzu Diem. According to Xinmin, their father, Mr. Tzu Chucheng, is referred to as “boss” by the social circles in Wuhan.
Mr. Tzu Chucheng, born in 1962 in Wuhan, is the eighth child in the family, has 4 brothers and 3 sisters, with low educational attainment, having not graduated from primary school. He worked in architecture, and in 1994 registered to establish Huanan Pile Company – the family’s initial business. On October 26, 2019, he divorced his wife, Ms. Zhao Hong.
A source familiar with Xinmin revealed, “Boss [Tzu Chucheng] enjoys gambling, has a lot of money, land, and houses, with a generous and extravagant personality. He holds foreign citizenship, and the entire family does not reside in the country.”
Earlier, social media information in China suggested that Ms. Tzu Diem is the daughter-in-law of Mr. Zheng Xin Tui, Vice Chairman of the Hubei Provincial Political Consultative Conference. However, the Xin Jing Bao (China) on January 28 cited information from the Hubei CPPCC denying this, asserting that Mr. Zheng has no sons.
On January 27, the head of a research center at the Chinese University of Political Science and Law, Associate Professor Wu Danhong, posted a report on his personal Weibo, mentioning that he received a complaint letter from Wuhan sent this month, which accused Mr. Tzu Chucheng of operating a criminal organization, engaging in numerous illegal activities, illegally detaining people, or coercing transactions…
Xinmin Weekly noted that Mr. Tzu does not have a high education and is unlikely to manage the markets, relying instead on his ex-wife Ms. Zhao Hong. Public data on Ms. Zhao shows that she was born in 1965 in Wuhan, graduated with a master’s degree from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. A document on the Wuhan University website indicates that Zhao Hong enrolled in 2006, specializing in photography. She is also considered a notable figure in the photography community in Hubei Province and Wuhan City.
Besides Zhao Hong, information about other family members of Tzu Chucheng is virtually unavailable on the Internet. Ms. Zhao, who studied business administration, was assigned to manage Huanan Market from 1999 to 2006, after marrying Mr. Tzu in 1994.
A relative of Tzu revealed that she managed the market very well. “During the SARS and avian flu outbreaks, daily disinfection was conducted, and no infectious cases occurred,” the source said.
The Tzu Family Controls Over 50 Businesses
Public information on Tianchayan (China) shows that Tzu Chucheng and his relatives effectively control over 50 businesses. In addition to most companies registered in Wuhan, there are also businesses established in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Xi’an. These businesses are involved in various fields, including real estate, architecture, services, pawn, media, etc. After several adjustments in recent years, Zhao Hong and Tzu Chucheng gradually separated from the senior management group, with Tzu Diem starting to rise.
On April 1, 2015, Tzu Chucheng withdrew from his role as a shareholder of Huanan Seafood Market, completing the transfer of the family business to the next generation. Son Tzu Qi Zhe holds 51.5% of the shares of this market, while Ms. Tzu Diem holds 48.5%. Since March 28, 2017, the shares of the Tzu sisters have become equal.
Tianchayan’s data also indicates that since January 9, 2018, Huanan Seafood Market has adjusted its business scope, expanding from merely managing services, parking lots, to adding seafood, primary agricultural products wholesale and retail, along with food business.
The Tzu family – prominently Tzu Chucheng, Tzu Diem, and Tzu Qi Zhe – has expanded their business activities across food, real estate, finance, etc. Tzu Diem is currently the legal entity for 12 companies, a shareholder in 20 companies, a senior manager at 18 companies, and holds decision-making power in 34 other companies. Tzu Qi Zhe is a legal entity at 3 companies, a shareholder in 12 companies, a senior manager at 12 companies, and holds decision-making authority in 32 companies.
Mr. Tzu Chucheng currently only serves as the legal entity for one company, Huanan Concrete Supply Center. 7 legal entity positions he previously held at various companies have been transferred to Ms. Tzu Diem.
Reporters from Xinmin Weekly have contacted each unit in the Tzu family business chain, as well as Mr. Tzu Chucheng and Ms. Zhao Hong, but have not yet received any official response.