Spring Festival spurs soy sauce fever

Local residents buy soy sauce in Zhenjiang, East China's Jiangsu province, Feb 8, 2015. [Photo: China News Service/Tian Wen]

Local residents buy soy sauce in Zhenjiang, East China's Jiangsu province, Feb 8, 2015. [Photo: China News Service/Tian Wen]

(ECNS) - More than 5,000 residents lined up Sunday to buy soy sauce ahead of Spring Festival in Zhenjiang, East China's Jiangsu province, with one man buying as much as 350 kilograms.

People of all ages carried plastic bottles to a supply center, where soy sauce stored in nine giant vats fill the air with a strong aroma.

Nearly 60 tons of soy sauce were sold from 7:30am to 5:00pm.

Dai Jianjun, a manager from soy sauce supplier Hengshun Group, said the tradition has been going on for more than 30 years.

The company prepared 400 tons of soy sauce, 100 tons more than last year, and expects to attract 20,000 people during a sale from Feb 8 to Feb 15.

Local resident He Yunjun said he bought 10 kilograms of the sauce, enough to last him for a year.

Another woman who bought 15 kilograms said she feels the spirit of Spring Festival when she smells the condiment.