<p>Citing health reasons and animal rights, a few groups are resorting to advertisements and social campaigns to dissuade people from eating dogs.<br /><br />Such a campaign is, however, irritating meat traders and fans of the cuisine, popular in northeastern and southern parts of China, says the China Daily.<br /><br />Fang Dan, director of the publicity department of Ta Foundation, a private group working for animal welfare, said videos calling for people to give up eating dogs are being broadcast every day on Beijing's outdoor advertising<br />screens.<br /><br />Celebrities were invited to be part of the videos. In one video, a presenter said dog meat was "not quarantined and contains large amounts of bacteria" and so people should not eat it.<br /><br />Eating dogs in China dates back to the Neolithic Age. In winter, eating dog meat is socially acceptable as people believe it has medicinal qualities.<br /><br />In an encyclopaedia on traditional Chinese medicine written during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.), four prescriptions containing dog meat have been recorded.<br />Jin Meihua, deputy director of the Jilin Provincial Academy of Social Sciences' Centre for Northeast Asian Studies, said: "It's a tradition, it's part of life ... it has never caused any controversy here."<br /><br />In October, a Chinese animal protection group saved nearly 800 dogs from traders in Zigong in southwest Sichuan province.<br /><br />A 600-year-old dog meat festival in Zhejiang province was cancelled permanently in September after animal rights groups launched an online campaign to protest the slaughter of dogs at the event.<br /><br />Some restaurants have also given up serving dog meat.<br />A Korean restaurant in Beijing has stopped providing dog meat after receiving protests from many animal protection organisations.<br /><br />Zhang Dan, co-founder of China Animal Protection Media Saloon, established in 2009, said the government has not promoted the legislation or publicity against eating dogs.<br />However, those who make a living from dog meat do not like the idea of banning the dishes.<br /><br />"My family ekes out a living from selling dog meat, and I was raised by my parents that way," said Zhang Guiping, the 42-year-old owner of a restaurant in Guizhou province, where dog cuisine is famous.<br /><br />Many Chinese consumers are not convinced either. They do not think dog meat was different from pork and mutton.<br /><br />A Beijing resident Huang Xiaoshan wrote on his blog that if people stop eating dog meat, animal protection groups may continue to "persuade people not to have beef, chicken and fish".</p>
<p>Citing health reasons and animal rights, a few groups are resorting to advertisements and social campaigns to dissuade people from eating dogs.<br /><br />Such a campaign is, however, irritating meat traders and fans of the cuisine, popular in northeastern and southern parts of China, says the China Daily.<br /><br />Fang Dan, director of the publicity department of Ta Foundation, a private group working for animal welfare, said videos calling for people to give up eating dogs are being broadcast every day on Beijing's outdoor advertising<br />screens.<br /><br />Celebrities were invited to be part of the videos. In one video, a presenter said dog meat was "not quarantined and contains large amounts of bacteria" and so people should not eat it.<br /><br />Eating dogs in China dates back to the Neolithic Age. In winter, eating dog meat is socially acceptable as people believe it has medicinal qualities.<br /><br />In an encyclopaedia on traditional Chinese medicine written during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.), four prescriptions containing dog meat have been recorded.<br />Jin Meihua, deputy director of the Jilin Provincial Academy of Social Sciences' Centre for Northeast Asian Studies, said: "It's a tradition, it's part of life ... it has never caused any controversy here."<br /><br />In October, a Chinese animal protection group saved nearly 800 dogs from traders in Zigong in southwest Sichuan province.<br /><br />A 600-year-old dog meat festival in Zhejiang province was cancelled permanently in September after animal rights groups launched an online campaign to protest the slaughter of dogs at the event.<br /><br />Some restaurants have also given up serving dog meat.<br />A Korean restaurant in Beijing has stopped providing dog meat after receiving protests from many animal protection organisations.<br /><br />Zhang Dan, co-founder of China Animal Protection Media Saloon, established in 2009, said the government has not promoted the legislation or publicity against eating dogs.<br />However, those who make a living from dog meat do not like the idea of banning the dishes.<br /><br />"My family ekes out a living from selling dog meat, and I was raised by my parents that way," said Zhang Guiping, the 42-year-old owner of a restaurant in Guizhou province, where dog cuisine is famous.<br /><br />Many Chinese consumers are not convinced either. They do not think dog meat was different from pork and mutton.<br /><br />A Beijing resident Huang Xiaoshan wrote on his blog that if people stop eating dog meat, animal protection groups may continue to "persuade people not to have beef, chicken and fish".</p>