Man’s Best Friend or Dinner?
As a result of its majestic, emerald hills and peaceful, turquoise rivers, swarms of tourists flock to the idyllic province of Guangxi, eager to discover the glorious Southern Chinese landscape. However, it appears that the province may be in risk of becoming less well-known for its natural beauty, and instead gain a dire reputation as a result of a gruesome annual event held in the city of Yulin. ?Although, in Mandarin, Yulin – 玉林- literally translates into ‘jade forest’, its most well-known festival is not anywhere near as pretty as the city’s name would suggest. Since 1995, the Yulin Dog Meat Festival sees an estimated 10,000 dogs bludgeoned to death and eaten. Cats are also on the menu. The event is held on summer solstice as the locals claim that consuming dog meat can ward off disease and cool the body. It has also been reported that the animals are burnt, boiled and skinned whilst still alive as the torture supposedly ‘improves’ the taste of their flesh. Even more worrying are the claims by animal activists that pet dogs are actually stolen and butchered at the festival, as well as those that the meat is unhygienic and breaches food safety regulations. Over the recent years, the festival has sparked off growing global controversy. ?A change.org online petition, protesting against this […]
Uncategorized Dec 14, 2015