That’s the main reason why Chinese do this. Ethics, unfortunately, are limited in China, and utilitarianism is the predominant way of thinking. That’s why milk vendors are willing to cut costs by putting melamine in milk, because if you can cut the costs, then that’s all the people care about, until they find out (if they ever do). As I have discovered in China, they are incredibly price elastic and many businesses cannot make it either because of incumbents or simply because of the sheer number of market entrants. So, it is the fault of the people, for not looking into products just because they are recommended, and for the industry, for not adhering to quality standards that will keep them at the top of their markets.

“Chinese adults traditionally avoid even superficial greetings to strangers. This preserves a distinction between insiders and outsiders (nei wai you bie) which honors insiders but deflects con artists and unwelcome requests. People remain wary until they know someone’s title, surname, and background through networks of connections (guanxi) with kin, classmates, and colleagues. People do not say “hello” even to neighbors on the street.”

The recent Dujiangyan earthquake was a great tragedy – it was also considered by some to be a transformative event for the country. Chinese were so moved by images of survivors searching for children in the rubble that they traveled to the disaster zone to help. Initially the government issued a media warning, but many journalists sensed that the story was too big. They reported on the earthquake, and their countrymen were transfixed; China mourned, but also seemed to collectively rise.

Now with the tainted milk scandal, the government again tried to put a lid on things – successfully, for a while. I don’t think most Chinese would favor government intervention into the wet nurse market. At the moment, they’re not too trusting of the authorities. But that brings up another interesting issue: how the Chinese view their government. While they’re well aware of corruption, a common belief is that it only takes place at the municipal level. Their top leaders are beyond reproach. The president is viewed as benevolent and wise, always working to counter the unscrupulous local politicians intent on getting rich. Were their President to get involved and tell people that it was time to go back to the formula milk and stop this wet nurse craze, I think most parents would follow suit. He is the ultimate insider in a world of outsiders.