Four men ate 30kg (66 lbs) of oranges between then in less than half an hour to avoid excess baggage fees or wasting the fruit.
The workmates had purchased the large box of oranges on a business trip in Kunming, according to China's Global Times.
But, when they tried to check in their bags for their flight home, the airport said it would charge them 300 yuan (£40) in excess baggage fees.
This was "more than they could afford," one of the men told the paper.
Unable to pay and eager to make the most of their fruit, the colleagues decided to devour the crate of oranges.
They consumed the fruit with great haste, finishing off the oranges in under 30 minutes.
"We just stood there and ate the whole thing up. It took about 20-30 minutes," one of the four said.
"We never want to have any oranges again," he added
The travelers began to suffer from mouth ulcers after gorging on the fruit, the Global Times added.
People on China's social media platforms were amused by their determination, while laughing at their foolishness. One wondered: "Couldn't they pack the oranges into four pieces of hand luggage and carry them into the cabin?"
