A controversial annual dog meat festival is celebrated on summer solstice, falling on June 21 or 22, in Yulin, a city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. However, the festival has drawn widespread criticism in recent years.

Locals say that gathering to enjoy a feast of dog-meat hotpot with lychee is a long-standing local tradition. They believe that eating dog meat on summer solstice will keep them from falling ill.

However, this practice has upset animal lovers. Activists from the Boai Small Animal Protection Center of Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province, have been protesting in the dog meat festival in Yulin since early June, calling on local authorities to ban the festival. They say the event is a bloody spectacle and that humans should not eat their animal friends. 

Yulin authorities responded by saying that they couldn't interfere with the festival as it was organized by the public. Those who are more tolerant of humans eating dog meat ask for more understanding for the tradition and argue that eating dog meat is just like eating chicken, pork or beef. They note that the festival is part of local culture, and should therefore be respected.

Pro

Lao Yibo

Expert at the Guangdong-based Policy-Making Institute

The festival, a kind of spontaneous and non-governmental event, was thrown into the spotlight. To dog lovers, dogs are human's friends and are different from other domesticated animals, like chickens, ducks or geese. But eating dog meat is a unique characteristic of the local area's culinary culture. People in Yulin need to eat high-calorie foods, like dog meat, to deal with local weather conditions, which are damp and cold. Therefore, in terms of dietary habits and nutritional needs, Yulin's tradition of eating dog meat shouldn't be criticized, particularly because there is currently no law forbidding the trading or eating of dog meat.

As culinary culture has advanced, eating dog meat has been confronted with more and more criticism. But, this criticism doesn't mean that the dietary habits of local people must change. Having traditions that involve eating dog meat is fine. What shouldn't be done is to promote the tradition in such a high-profile way. CA

Con

Huang Qiaojing

Scol.com.cn

I think that the festival was criticized so widely not because dog meat is being served as food, but because the dogs that are eaten at the festival are brutally slaughtered in public.

Some people love dogs, while others love eating dog meat. When dog meat is served at a normal meal, it is rare to see people fight over whether or not to eat it. The reason for this is obvious. People are aware that they each have their own likes and dislikes, and understand that others' choices should be respected.

Many of those who keep dogs treat their dogs like friends or even like members of their families. It's understandable that the public slaughter of dogs, labeled as a way of maintaining tradition and done by business people who make enormous profits from the event, offends those who have pet dogs and see them as members of their families. Is it really worth celebrating a festival where money trumps humanity? Festivals can be celebrated with carnivals and wine, but should not feature spurting blood or the public slaughter of animals. CA