Translated by ChatGPT, edited by Sinocism.com.
Source: Xinhua, republished by CCTV.com | Byline: 袁军宝 (Yuan Junbao), 魏圣曜 (Wei Shengyao), 陈灏 (Chen Hao) | May 6, 2012
Xinhua, May 6 (reporters Yuan Junbao, Wei Shengyao, and Chen Hao) — Recently, reports emerged from some parts of Qingzhou, Shandong Province, that some vegetable traders were spraying cabbages with a formaldehyde solution to keep them fresh. An on-site investigation by reporters found that the practice did indeed exist in the long-distance transport of some spring cabbage. Some traders said the method of spraying Chinese cabbage with formaldehyde to preserve freshness had been used for three or four years. Industry insiders recommended that government departments quickly improve the regulatory system governing formaldehyde use and severely crack down on the abuse of preservatives.
新华网5月6日电（记者袁军宝、魏圣曜、陈灏）近日，山东省青州市一些地方被传出部分蔬菜商贩使用甲醛溶液喷洒白菜进行保鲜的现象。记者实地调查发现，这一做法在部分春白菜的长途运输中确实存在。一些菜商反映，喷甲醛给大白菜保鲜的方法已沿用三四年。业内人士建议，政府部门应尽快完善甲醛使用监管体系，严厉打击滥用保鲜剂行为。
Qingzhou, Shandong, is one of China’s spring-cabbage-producing areas. In Dayuanzhuang Village, Dongxia Town, Qingzhou, spring cabbage is treated as an important cash crop. Villager Yin Lihua planted more than two mu of spring cabbage this year, with an expected harvest of more than 30,000 jin. He told reporters that the market was very good this year: Chinese cabbage could sell for 1.4 yuan per kilogram, compared with only about 0.1 yuan during the same period last year.
山东青州是春季白菜的产地之一。在青州市东夏镇大袁庄村，春白菜被当作重要经济作物。村民尹立华今年种了2亩多春白菜，能收3万多斤。他告诉记者，今年行情很好，每公斤大白菜可以卖到1.4元，而去年同期只有0.1元左右。
Many produce-collection vehicles were parked beside the cabbage shed at Yin Lihua’s home. He said: “In earlier years, there was less cabbage here, so it was shipped to nearby places such as Jinan and Shouguang. It is only in the past two years that more traders have come from elsewhere to buy cabbage. They come from Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Henan, and Hebei.”
在尹立华家的白菜棚旁边，停靠着许多收菜车辆。他说：“前几年这里白菜少，就运往济南、寿光这些近的地方。这两年外地过来买白菜的商贩才多起来，北京、内蒙古、河南、河北的都有。”
At the turn from spring to summer, local temperatures in Qingzhou rise to nearly 30 degrees Celsius, creating difficulties for long-distance vegetable transport. Some farmers told reporters that a single cabbage can last ten days if it is well ventilated, but when cabbages are piled together they heat up easily and rot more quickly, spoiling within two or three days.
春夏之交，青州当地气温升至近30摄氏度，给蔬菜长途运输带来困难。一些菜农告诉记者，单棵白菜通风顺畅时放10天没问题，但堆到一起容易发热，腐烂速度也更快，两三天就会烂掉。
To preserve freshness, some traders in recent years began spraying Chinese cabbages with a formaldehyde solution. While reporters were conducting interviews, the local police station happened to discover a trader from Heilongjiang, Zhao Mingli, using formaldehyde solution to spray Chinese cabbages.
为保鲜，近年来一些商贩开始给大白菜喷甲醛溶液。记者采访时，当地派出所正好查到黑龙江商贩赵明利使用甲醛溶液喷洒大白菜。
“Why do you spray the cabbages with formaldehyde solution?” the reporter asked.
“为什么要给白菜喷甲醛溶液？”记者问。
“It takes ten hours to transport this truckload of vegetables to Langfang. Without spraying them, the cabbage roots will turn red. After they arrive, it also takes time to sell them. If they cannot be sold that day, a lot will rot the next day, and the losses will be large,” Zhao Mingli said. Vegetable vendors in Langfang also demanded that formaldehyde be used for preservation: “The roots of cabbages sprayed with formaldehyde look clean and white, and the vendors like to buy them.”
“我这车菜运到廊坊要10个小时。如果不喷，白菜就会红根。运过去之后，卖菜还要时间。当天卖不掉的话，第二天就会烂很多，损耗就大了。”赵明利说。廊坊那边的菜贩子也要求用甲醛保鲜，“喷过甲醛的白菜根部白净，菜贩喜欢收。”