The Tianfu Morning Post reported on Friday that a recent online sale of the Yellow River water has sparked a fierce debate and boycott from Chinese netizens against such an "unpatriotic business".

Many netizens argue that the Yellow River, the cradle of the Chinese civilization, is often considered the mother river of China and that the water from the river should not be up for sale. They have harshly criticized those who sell the river water online.

The protest came following a series of photos published online, featuring a bottle of Yellow River water the poster, a Chinese native living in America, received from a friend of his as a gift.

The guy who lives in the States explained that the bottle was carefully packaged in a fancy gift box with a tag labeled "Yellow River water" in Chinese and English. Upon getting the special gift, the guy says he was close to tears as he thought his friend had brought the bottle of water all the way from China to help deal with his homesickness. However, the friend told him he just bought it off the internet.

The article has aroused fierce public debate over the issue. However, those who are in favor of the online trade say people buying the water are most likely doing scientific research or patriotic Chinese people living abroad with nostalgic memories.