Viral Video Shows Chinese Worker Urinating Into Tank At Beer Manufacturing Unit

A Chinese beer firm has come under fire after a video of one of their employees allegedly peeing into a tank at one of their manufacturing units went viral on social media.

Chinese beer maker Tsingtao Brewery said on Monday that they have launched an investigation into the matter. Tsingtao is the second-largest brewer in China.

The video was uploaded on the Chinese social media platform Weibo last week and has managed to get tens of millions of views since then. It shows a man climbing over a high wall onto the container and urinating in it. The tank was believed to contain ingredients for its popular beer.

In a statement issued later, the company said: "The company places high importance on the media reports and has reported the matter to the public security authorities at the first opportunity. The public security authorities are presently involved in the investigation."

"At present, the production and operation of the company are normal in every respect!" it added. It further assured that the batch of ingredients had been sealed off. However, they did not acknowledge that the incident occurred at their manufacturing unit. It also did not clarify whether or not the person in the video was an employee.

The incident sparked a debate on Weibo, with users claiming they have stopped consuming their beer for now. "A piss that will ruin a lot of money; this worker has done some real damage here," read one of the comments posted by a Weibo user.

"Good thing I don't drink beer—but it's unimaginable if this brand is finished because of this," said another. "Thanks, I think I'll have wine instead," quipped another.

Some social media users also came out in support and said that they should investigate the incident.

"That could be an explanation for the taste of some American beers," commented another. "Oh lord. I feel bad for that fella . . . he ain't gonna look too good soon. Don Xi don't mess around," warned another.

Tsingtao describes itself as the sixth-largest global beer maker. It makes several kinds of beverages, including a classic lager, a stout, a Pilsner, and an IPA. It has a presence in over 100 other countries.

Its shares fell sharply on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in value on Monday. However, they managed to recover by the afternoon.

In an equally bizarre incident reported from the United States in 2014, a reservoir in Portland had to be emptied after a teenager urinated into the water. The officials had to flush away 38 million gallons of treated water for customers.