Hundreds of residents lined up inside Sanlu Group's compound in Shijiazhuang , Hebei , yesterday to return packages of the baby formula at the centre of a tainted-milk-powder scandal.
Yesterday was the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, arguably the second most important Chinese festival after the Lunar New Year. People normally mark the day by staying home with family, eating mooncakes and watching television.
But it was clear that those gathered at Sanlu Group's headquarters were in no mood to celebrate. Angry shouts could be heard, but the crowd was mostly quiet and restrained.
Many had been shocked by the company's admission on Thursday that some of its milk formula had been contaminated with melamine, a chemical used in plastics, fertilisers and cleaning products
'I felt like the sky was falling and the sunshine dimmed [when I heard the news],' said Tian Qingdong , 46, whose 11-month-old son had been fed Sanlu milk powder until last week.
However, like many others gathered yesterday, Mr Tian decided to swallow his anger after realising he should return his remaining powder before it was too late.
