https://www.thinkchina.sg/how-fujians-tea-capital-became-known-scam-town
At least half of the Chinese men who were recently charged in a billion-dollar money-laundering probe in Singapore are from Anxi — a province in Fujian known for producing tea but is now frequently linked to its involvement in scams. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing visits the county to find out how prevalent fraudulent activities are and the impact on its locals.
Luxury cars throng the streets in Changkeng township, Anxi county.
Luxury cars throng the streets in Changkeng township, Anxi county.
(Photos: Chen Jing, unless otherwise stated.)
A brand new multi-storey house stands next to a row of dilapidated, low-rise brick houses, while BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, Maseratis and other luxury cars ply the potholed country roads. Such discordant scenes are not unusual in Fujian province’s Anxi county.
(Graphic: Jace Yip)
(Graphic: Jace Yip)
Famed as the birthplace of Tieguanyin, a variety of Chinese oolong tea, this county under the jurisdiction of Quanzhou city has in recent years become better known by its other nickname: scam town (诈骗之乡).
The Chinese people even have a jingle for it: nine out of ten Anxi people are scammers while the tenth is an apprentice (十个安溪九个骗，还有一个在锻炼).
Birthplace of China’s telecom scams
At least half of the ten people involved in the recent S$1 billion-dollar (US$735 million) money laundering case that rocked Singapore came from Anxi.
I recently visited Nandou village, Changkeng township, Anxi — the hometown of one of the suspects Chen Qingyuan. Because of the absence of markers to identify the unit numbers at the village, I did not find Chen’s exact address but discovered a six or seven-storey house nearby. The stone carvings that adorned the exterior walls alone were nearly ten metres tall.
A high-rise bungalow in Changkeng township.
A high-rise bungalow in Changkeng township.
A passing villager was guarded when I asked about the identity of the homeowner.
“Who are you?” He questioned me back immediately, “Why are you here?”
Outsiders can easily attract attention in Nandou village because the area is mostly populated by the elderly and left-behind children, with hardly any young people around. A provision store owner told me that the local economy has been in a slump and most of the younger generation have gone elsewhere to earn a living. “But the people are slowly returning for the Hungry Ghost Festival rituals,” the owner said.
Changqing township, two kilometres from Nandou village, is seeing a wave of people returning to their hometowns for the Hungry Ghost Festival that falls on the seventh lunar month. Street vendors have set up stalls to sell all sorts of products such as meats, produce and pesticides, further congesting the already narrow road. Within a short span of ten minutes, I already saw four BMWs, two Mercedes-Benzes, and two Maseratis drive past the market, most of them had Quanzhou or Xiamen licence plates.
Luxury cars seen in Changkeng township.
Luxury cars seen in Changkeng township.
While there is no lack of luxury cars and mansions, Changkeng township is relatively lagging behind in development. Dilapidated houses line the street, while roads and other infrastructure remain in disrepair.
A person familiar with the local situation revealed that Changkeng is seen as the birthplace of China’s telecom scams. But most locals get involved in scams or open online casinos elsewhere, and only return to their hometowns to build houses or buy properties in neighbouring cities after they strike it rich.
Luxury homebuyers in Xiamen
The address of Wang Shuiming, a member of the money-laundering “Fujian gang”, is not registered in his hometown of Anxi but in Nanhu Zhongxiang Mansion (南湖中祥大厦), downtown Xiamen. Based on real estate websites, homes in the neighbourhood are currently priced at around 90,000 RMB (US$12,500) per square metre.
Wuyuan Bay is jokingly referred to as “Anxi Bay” because of the sheer number of homebuyers from Anxi. These luxury homeowners are often overseas and mostly own more than one property.
Wang Shuiming's registered address in downtown Xiamen.
Wang Shuiming's registered address in downtown Xiamen.
The registered address of another suspect Wang Dehai is Jian Fa Yang Zuo (建发央座) in Xiamen’s Wuyuan Bay. This is one of the most expensive properties in Xiamen, with prices as high as 150,000 RMB per square metre. Based on housing advertisements, all units in the compound are massive sea-view homes of at least 300 square metres, with asking prices starting from 50 million RMB.
Xiamen private-hire driver Liu Wenyi said that Wuyuan Bay is jokingly referred to as “Anxi Bay” because of the sheer number of homebuyers from Anxi. These luxury homeowners are often overseas and mostly own more than one property.
The aforementioned person familiar with the local situation pointed out that in the past, the wealthy in Anxi mostly made their fortune from the tea business. But with the decline in Tieguanyin sales in recent years, more people are turning to telecom scams, online gambling and other illegal activities, with the successful ones quickly expanding their operations and recruiting even more relatives and other locals.
Wang Dehai's registered address in Xiamen's Wuyuan Bay, one of the city's most expensive properties.
Wang Dehai's registered address in Xiamen's Wuyuan Bay, one of the city's most expensive properties.
In 2016, then Anxi party secretary Gao Xiangrong told a Chinese media outlet that telecom scams had first emerged in Taiwan, with some of them roping in their relatives from Anxi afterwards. Subsequently, Anxi people continued these scams and grew their operations. Of the county’s 1.2 million people, Gao estimated that about 2,000 are telecom scammers.
... many Anxi people have fled the country to avoid arrests, moving the base for their scam operations to Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Locals bearing the brunt of bad reputation
With China’s police force ramping up their efforts to crack down on fraud, many Anxi people have fled the country to avoid arrests, moving the base for their scam operations to Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Banners with the words “All-out effort to combat telecom fraud” are plastered around Nandou village, and the village’s exit point displays posters encouraging locals to report escapees, with rewards ranging from 50,000 RMB to 100,000 RMB.
The public security bureau in Anxi has repeatedly asked people involved in overseas illegal activities including online gambling and scams to return to their hometowns to turn themselves in. Since last year, they have also prohibited people whose hometowns are in Anxi from heading to eight key countries involved in these fraud operations such as Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, as well as the border areas of Yunnan and Guangxi, for non-essential purposes.
... she lamented that as soon as people find out where she hails from, “they’re fearful of being scammed if they do business with us”.
Last week, the police forces of China, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos jointly initiated a special operation to combat telecom fraud and online gambling in the region.
Few young people can be found in Anxi's tea markets.
Few young people can be found in Anxi's tea markets.
Chen Shuyan, an Anxi native who opened a tea shop in Xiamen, is not surprised that several fellow townsmen have been arrested in Singapore, stressing that most locals are still engaged in honest business. Wang, a 22-year-old Anxi native studying in Fuzhou, was pleased to hear of their arrest and hopes that lawbreakers will be stamped out quickly so that Anxi can sever its association with fraud.
Wang told me that she plans to help with her family’s tea business after she graduates from university. However, she lamented that as soon as people find out where she hails from, “they’re fearful of being scammed if they do business with us”.
She said, “Only a minority of people earn a living from scamming others, but it is the majority of Anxi people who bear the cost of it.”
At least half of the Chinese men who were recently charged in a billion-dollar money-laundering probe in Singapore are from Anxi — a province in Fujian known for producing tea but is now frequently linked to its involvement in scams. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing visits the county to find out how prevalent fraudulent activities are and the impact on its locals.
Luxury cars throng the streets in Changkeng township, Anxi county.
Luxury cars throng the streets in Changkeng township, Anxi county.
(Photos: Chen Jing, unless otherwise stated.)
A brand new multi-storey house stands next to a row of dilapidated, low-rise brick houses, while BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, Maseratis and other luxury cars ply the potholed country roads. Such discordant scenes are not unusual in Fujian province’s Anxi county.
(Graphic: Jace Yip)
(Graphic: Jace Yip)
Famed as the birthplace of Tieguanyin, a variety of Chinese oolong tea, this county under the jurisdiction of Quanzhou city has in recent years become better known by its other nickname: scam town (诈骗之乡).
The Chinese people even have a jingle for it: nine out of ten Anxi people are scammers while the tenth is an apprentice (十个安溪九个骗，还有一个在锻炼).
Birthplace of China’s telecom scams
At least half of the ten people involved in the recent S$1 billion-dollar (US$735 million) money laundering case that rocked Singapore came from Anxi.
I recently visited Nandou village, Changkeng township, Anxi — the hometown of one of the suspects Chen Qingyuan. Because of the absence of markers to identify the unit numbers at the village, I did not find Chen’s exact address but discovered a six or seven-storey house nearby. The stone carvings that adorned the exterior walls alone were nearly ten metres tall.
A high-rise bungalow in Changkeng township.
A high-rise bungalow in Changkeng township.
A passing villager was guarded when I asked about the identity of the homeowner.
“Who are you?” He questioned me back immediately, “Why are you here?”
Outsiders can easily attract attention in Nandou village because the area is mostly populated by the elderly and left-behind children, with hardly any young people around. A provision store owner told me that the local economy has been in a slump and most of the younger generation have gone elsewhere to earn a living. “But the people are slowly returning for the Hungry Ghost Festival rituals,” the owner said.
Changqing township, two kilometres from Nandou village, is seeing a wave of people returning to their hometowns for the Hungry Ghost Festival that falls on the seventh lunar month. Street vendors have set up stalls to sell all sorts of products such as meats, produce and pesticides, further congesting the already narrow road. Within a short span of ten minutes, I already saw four BMWs, two Mercedes-Benzes, and two Maseratis drive past the market, most of them had Quanzhou or Xiamen licence plates.
Luxury cars seen in Changkeng township.
Luxury cars seen in Changkeng township.
While there is no lack of luxury cars and mansions, Changkeng township is relatively lagging behind in development. Dilapidated houses line the street, while roads and other infrastructure remain in disrepair.
A person familiar with the local situation revealed that Changkeng is seen as the birthplace of China’s telecom scams. But most locals get involved in scams or open online casinos elsewhere, and only return to their hometowns to build houses or buy properties in neighbouring cities after they strike it rich.
Luxury homebuyers in Xiamen
The address of Wang Shuiming, a member of the money-laundering “Fujian gang”, is not registered in his hometown of Anxi but in Nanhu Zhongxiang Mansion (南湖中祥大厦), downtown Xiamen. Based on real estate websites, homes in the neighbourhood are currently priced at around 90,000 RMB (US$12,500) per square metre.
Wuyuan Bay is jokingly referred to as “Anxi Bay” because of the sheer number of homebuyers from Anxi. These luxury homeowners are often overseas and mostly own more than one property.
Wang Shuiming's registered address in downtown Xiamen.
Wang Shuiming's registered address in downtown Xiamen.
The registered address of another suspect Wang Dehai is Jian Fa Yang Zuo (建发央座) in Xiamen’s Wuyuan Bay. This is one of the most expensive properties in Xiamen, with prices as high as 150,000 RMB per square metre. Based on housing advertisements, all units in the compound are massive sea-view homes of at least 300 square metres, with asking prices starting from 50 million RMB.
Xiamen private-hire driver Liu Wenyi said that Wuyuan Bay is jokingly referred to as “Anxi Bay” because of the sheer number of homebuyers from Anxi. These luxury homeowners are often overseas and mostly own more than one property.
The aforementioned person familiar with the local situation pointed out that in the past, the wealthy in Anxi mostly made their fortune from the tea business. But with the decline in Tieguanyin sales in recent years, more people are turning to telecom scams, online gambling and other illegal activities, with the successful ones quickly expanding their operations and recruiting even more relatives and other locals.
Wang Dehai's registered address in Xiamen's Wuyuan Bay, one of the city's most expensive properties.
Wang Dehai's registered address in Xiamen's Wuyuan Bay, one of the city's most expensive properties.
In 2016, then Anxi party secretary Gao Xiangrong told a Chinese media outlet that telecom scams had first emerged in Taiwan, with some of them roping in their relatives from Anxi afterwards. Subsequently, Anxi people continued these scams and grew their operations. Of the county’s 1.2 million people, Gao estimated that about 2,000 are telecom scammers.
... many Anxi people have fled the country to avoid arrests, moving the base for their scam operations to Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Locals bearing the brunt of bad reputation
With China’s police force ramping up their efforts to crack down on fraud, many Anxi people have fled the country to avoid arrests, moving the base for their scam operations to Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia.
Banners with the words “All-out effort to combat telecom fraud” are plastered around Nandou village, and the village’s exit point displays posters encouraging locals to report escapees, with rewards ranging from 50,000 RMB to 100,000 RMB.
The public security bureau in Anxi has repeatedly asked people involved in overseas illegal activities including online gambling and scams to return to their hometowns to turn themselves in. Since last year, they have also prohibited people whose hometowns are in Anxi from heading to eight key countries involved in these fraud operations such as Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, as well as the border areas of Yunnan and Guangxi, for non-essential purposes.
... she lamented that as soon as people find out where she hails from, “they’re fearful of being scammed if they do business with us”.
Last week, the police forces of China, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos jointly initiated a special operation to combat telecom fraud and online gambling in the region.
Few young people can be found in Anxi's tea markets.
Few young people can be found in Anxi's tea markets.
Chen Shuyan, an Anxi native who opened a tea shop in Xiamen, is not surprised that several fellow townsmen have been arrested in Singapore, stressing that most locals are still engaged in honest business. Wang, a 22-year-old Anxi native studying in Fuzhou, was pleased to hear of their arrest and hopes that lawbreakers will be stamped out quickly so that Anxi can sever its association with fraud.
Wang told me that she plans to help with her family’s tea business after she graduates from university. However, she lamented that as soon as people find out where she hails from, “they’re fearful of being scammed if they do business with us”.
She said, “Only a minority of people earn a living from scamming others, but it is the majority of Anxi people who bear the cost of it.”
