- Joined
- May 16, 2023
- Messages
- 41,467
- Points
- 113
Chinese teens to pay $300,000 for urinating in soup
Kelly Ng -Tue, 16 September 2025 at 3:16 PM SGT
2 min read
The teenagers, who were drunk, had posted a video of their act online [Getty Images]
Two teenagers who peed into a pot of broth at a hotpot restaurant have been ordered to pay 2.2m yuan ($309,000; £227,000) to two catering companies in China.
The incident, which happened in February at a Shanghai branch of China's biggest hotpot chain Haidilao, sparked widespread criticism after the 17-year-olds posted a video of their drunken act online.
There is no suggestion that anyone consumed the contaminated broth but Haidilao had offered to pay thousands of diners who dined at the restaurant in the days following the incident.
ADVERTISEMENT
In March, Haidilao sought more than 23m yuan in losses, saying this took into account the amount it compensated customers over the incident.
Last Friday, a Shanghai court found that the teenagers had infringed upon the companies' property rights as well as reputation through "acts of insult", noting that their actions contaminated tableware and "caused strong discomfort among the public".
It also found that the teens' parents had "failed to fulfil their duty of guardianship" and ordered that they bear the compensation, state media reported.
This includes 2m yuan for operational and reputational damage, 130,000 yuan to one of the caterers for tableware losses and cleaning expenses, and 70,000 yuan in legal costs.
