To eat, or not to eat dog meat

The controversial annual dog meat-eating festival will be held on the summer solstice (June 21) in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, when more than 10,000 dogs are likely to be slaughtered and served as hotpots with litchis and strong liquor.

The festival has once again brought China's animal rights activists together, who, in collaboration with some well-known actors, have urged Yulin residents to stop eating dog meat and abolish the festival. This year, however, the confrontation between the groups opposed to and supporting the festival is far more intense, with one citing social and moral norms to prove its point and the other demanding respect for local customs.

In a joint appeal last year, 20 animal protection organizations such as the Research Center for Animal Protection of the Northwest University of Politics and Law and China Small Animal Protection Association have said 2013 revealed a "black chain" of trading in stolen pet and stray dogs to Yulin. Worse, they say, because of lack of strict quarantine inspection, much of the dog meat sold in the market could be infected with rabies or other diseases jeopardizing the health of consumers.