A mining company in East China’s Shandong Province painted a stone mine green, in an attempt to fool environmental inspectors, reported Qilu.com on Tuesday.  

Photos: Qilu.com

All the stones in and around the Changsheng Stone Factory in Shandong’s Xintai city have been brushed with green pigment. 

Aerial footage shows that the entire stone factory, covering an area of many hectares, with a large area of damaging quarrying, appears a strange green. A truck driver told a reporter that the painting work finished last year.

Although a notice of business suspension was hung in front of the stone factory, the reporter observed four trucks rolled in within half an hour. 

After climbing to the top of the hill, the reporter found a cutting machine still working, and the whole mountain dug down nearly 100 meters.

An official from a local environment watchdog told the reporter that the factory's environmental assessment procedures have not been completed. Without an official assessment report, it should have been unable to get a mining license, and any production activities are subject to a fine.

The report said it is unclear whether the local government is aware of the painting work, why no investigation has been made, and how the factory continues to quarry without a license.

(Compiled by Yu Lidong)