Shanghai tourists burned from hotpot when boating in Hangzhou wetland
Five tourists, four from Shanghai, were burned while enjoying fish hotpot on a boat in the Xixi Wetland in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, last weekend.
The victims jumped into the river when the fuel can exploded and the portable stove on their boat began spitting fire.
Hu Xing, a doctor at Zhejiang University No. 2 Hospital, told reporters that of the five patients, two had minor injuries with burns on hands and faces. The other three had burns on 10 to 20 percent of their bodies. At present, they have been hospitalized and are in stable condition.
According to the tourist center information desk staff, hotpot on a rowing boat is an attraction in the scenic area, which is called yao yao guo, or "rowing pot."
The information on Dianping.com shows the "rowing pot" costs about 1,000 yuan (US$155), more than 200 yuan per person. Tourists can cook all kinds of river fish and vegetables in a milky fish soup while boating in the wetland. Since its launch in 2017, it has become an online sensation.
According to the Xixi Wetland authority, the hotpot service has been suspended since the accident.
In October 2015 Xixi Wetland was warned by the National Tourism Administration for its weakness in services. The park authority told Shanghai Daily on Monday that they have completed a six-month improvement plan in line with requirements and have rechecked its services for quality annually since then.