On Monday, more than 100 trucks from different places to the ice house had nothing to load due to the closure of the shops.[cnhubei.com]

Dealers said the warehouse in Wuhan, capital of Hubei, raised their rental fees by about 50 percent in December.

The strike began Friday. With the exception of a few dealers in fresh goods, most of the shopkeepers have suspended business.

"I only needed to pay about 13,000 yuan (US$1,898) per tonne of goods a month to the owner in the past, but under the new fee regulation, I have to pay 20,000 yuan for the same," said dealer Hu Fumin. He rented a compartment capable of storing 100 tonnes.

Zhang Xiangdong, vice president of Wuhan Wandun Cold Storage Logistics Co. Ltd, owner of the ice house, said the company raised the fees in response to a rise in management costs.

The ice house has a storage capacity of 36,000 tonnes of goods and an annual trading volume of 700,000 tonnes.

On Monday, more than 100 trucks from different places to the ice house had nothing to load due to the closure of the shops.

The dealers and the warehouse owners are still negotiating.

Police and commerce administration authorities of Wuhan are investigating the incident.