Where are dog meat festivals held?

Dog meat festivals are "festivals" for eating dog meat. Dog meat itself has edible and medicinal value. As autumn and winter arrive, in China, people eat some warm-natured, non-toxic dog meat to ward off the cold. The 22nd day of the ninth lunar month falls in late autumn, and dog meat festivals have emerged accordingly. The main ones are the Jinhua Hutou Dog Meat Festival and the Yulin Lychee Dog Meat Festival. Let us take a look below!

Jinhua Hutou Dog Meat Festival

The 22nd day of the ninth lunar month each year is the time for the annual Hutou Dog Meat Festival in Hutou, Qianxi Township, Wucheng District, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province. In early September 2011, some netizens condemned on forums that the act of "slaughtering dogs on the street" on the day of the dog meat festival would have a negative impact on urban management. On September 21, under heavy public pressure, the Qianxi Township government of Wucheng District cancelled the "Jinhua Hutou Dog Meat Festival," which had a history of more than 600 years.

Yulin Lychee Dog Meat Festival

The Yulin Lychee Dog Meat Festival is a festival spontaneously formed by the people of Yulin City, Guangxi, China, and is a folk custom for celebrating the summer solstice. Every year on the summer solstice, the bold and hospitable citizens of Yulin prepare fine food and wine and gather with friends to celebrate the summer solstice in a lively manner. Because the Yulin "Lychee Dog Meat Festival" slaughters a large number of dogs every year, it has been condemned and opposed by many people from animal protection and other sectors across the country, and some netizens call it the "Yulin massacre incident."

The origin of dog meat festivals

Jinhua was a place of good fortune where Zhu Yuanzhang rose to power. One account says that when the Ming general Hu Dahai sent troops to attack Wuzhou City, several nights of surprise attacks failed. After repeated scouting reports, it was learned that in the Qianxi area of Wucheng where the troops were stationed, there were many domestic dogs. Whenever the army made a move, the sound of barking had already reached the defending soldiers' ears, making the attack on the city extremely difficult. "To take the city, first slaughter the dogs." Hu Dahai cleverly devised a plan, all the dogs were killed, and the city was taken in one stroke. The next day, Zhu Yuanzhang held a banquet in Qianxi to celebrate the victory, and the fragrance of dog meat lingered for three days.

Another legend says that after Zhu Yuanzhang established Nanjing as the capital, the descendants of Chen Youliang, who lived in seclusion in Qingtian, cursed Zhu Yuanzhang as a "Ming dog," and every household slaughtered dogs to worship their ancestors. One branch of the descendants moved to Hutou, Jinhua, to avoid being implicated. They were known as Hutou West Chen and East Chen, built temples and Taoist monasteries, and held temple fairs on Zhu Yuanzhang's birthday to worship their ancestors.