Counterfeit bills passed at charity bazaar nets criticism

Thirty foreign consulates in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province that staged a charity bazaar on Saturday for children with disabilities were dismayed to discover that a portion of the money they collected was counterfeit.

The consulate generals sold exotic foods and goods at low prices, raising some 330,000 yuan ($52.899), which will be donated to a provincial project for children with hearing problems.

Fortynine 100-yuan counterfeit notes with consecutive serial numbers were discovered by the Ping'an Bank when it counted the money received at the bazaar. Each booth received a few of the fake bills, reported the Yangcheng Evening News Monday.

Bank staff told the newspaper that the unlawful passing of the counterfeit bills suggests a deliberate and organized act by professional counterfeiters.

The misconduct triggered online criticism with many commentators suggesting it damaged the reputation of Chinese people, especially warmhearted citizens who spent money at the bazaar.

Meanwhile, He Keng, a former deputy director of the National Bureau of Statistics, was criticized for complaining on his Tencent Weibo about the motives of bazaar organizers.

"Foreign consulates intended to disgrace us Chinese by holding a charity bazaar and they are shameless. China doesn't need the 330,000 yuan, not to mention it was Chinese people's money," wrote He.

Hundreds of people on Monday called He narrow-minded and misinterpreted the foreign consulates' kindness. Many also agreed that helping children with disabilities is the government's responsibility.

The Consulate General of the Kingdom of Belgium in Guangzhou responded to He, saying they felt no shame in raising 7,000 yuan for charity. All the goods they sold at the bazaar were donated by Belgian companies.

Local police was unavailable for comment on Monday.