It came into public view in February 2012 when it announced its intention to seek a listing on the Growth Enterprise Board of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Zang Yun, the lawyer representing the institute, said what backs up the bear bile industry, and the company in particular, are the certificates issued by the authority that gave the industry a legal permit.

It is said that the two licenses, for farming and manufacturing, were issued by Fujian's wildlife authority under the Regulations of Protection of Terrestrial Wild Animals.

"However, issuing the certificates itself is a violation of the Wildlife Protection Law," Zang said.

"The law explicitly prohibits the sale of wild animals and their products except for scientific research or other special purposes."

Gui Zhen Tang's extraction of bear bile certainly does not belong to these special purposes, he said.

"The licenses are therefore not in accordance with the law and should be revoked," Zang added.

Before resorting to legal action, Zang made information disclosure applications concerning the company's operations to the State and provincial forestry authorities, but these were rejected.