Southern China has always had a tradition of dining on dogs and the Yulin dog meat festival maintains the unique tradition of holding a canine banquet every year.
Legend has it the eating of dog meat will dispel evil ghosts and disease. It is also widely believed that dog meat can boost men’s sexual performance - as it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat impotence.
Many claim that some of the dogs that end up in cooking pots in Yulin are stolen pets or diseased strays.
The festival is held in Zhejiang, Guangxi, and Guangdong province, among them the booming industrial town Dongguan, are also known to be avid consumers of dog meat.
The Yulin locals traditionally celebrate the day of Summer Solstice, on June 21 and 22 when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky - by eating dog meat and drinking lychee wine.
The June dog-meat eating custom in Yulin originally began in the 1990s, but the consumption of dogs in China is thought to predate written history.
An unprecedented global social media campaign has taken off; the Twitter hashtag #stopyulin2015 has been heavily trending to create awareness.
The barbaric tradition has caused outrage and many have protested on Weibo, rapped against it, and written to the mayor of Yulin demanding an end to the tradition. After all these fruitless efforts , animal lovers decided to petition the White House.
It is legal to eat dogs in China and the country has no law protecting the welfare of pets.
The local government in Yulin, central China, said they banned the decades-old local tradition after two million furious campaigners in China called for an end to the bloody practice.
An unprecedented global social media campaign has taken off; the Twitter hashtag #stopyulin2015 has been heavily trending to create awareness.
The barbaric tradition has caused outrage and many have protested on Weibo, rapped against it, and written to the mayor of Yulin demanding an end to the tradition. After all these fruitless efforts , animal lovers decided to petition the White House.
It is legal to eat dogs in China and the country has no law protecting the welfare of pets.
The local government in Yulin, central China, said they banned the decades-old local tradition after two million furious campaigners in China called for an end to the bloody practice.
Legend has it the eating of dog meat will dispel evil ghosts and disease. It is also widely believed that dog meat can boost men’s sexual performance - as it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat impotence.
Many claim that some of the dogs that end up in cooking pots in Yulin are stolen pets or diseased strays.
The festival is held in Zhejiang, Guangxi, and Guangdong province, among them the booming industrial town Dongguan, are also known to be avid consumers of dog meat.
The Yulin locals traditionally celebrate the day of Summer Solstice, on June 21 and 22 when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky - by eating dog meat and drinking lychee wine.
The June dog-meat eating custom in Yulin originally began in the 1990s, but the consumption of dogs in China is thought to predate written history.
10 things you need to know about China's dog-eating festival