Customs authorities in Xiamen, a city on China's east coast, announced on Thursday that they had seized 700 bottles of bear bile.
A male passenger took a flight from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Xiamen, the customs authorities said in a statement. Customs inspectors used X-ray machines on his luggage and suspected it contained a large number of small bottles.
Inspectors found 100 bottles of bear bile from the man's luggage. Based on his report, another 600 of vials were found from the luggage of his companion. Each bottle contained one milliliter of the bile.
According to Chinese law, passengers must obtain certified documents if they wish to carry bear parts through customs. Smuggling is subject to legal punishment of fines or even imprisonment.