Summer Solstice is a day when temperature reaches its highest
in China. Residents of the Southern Chinese city, YuLin, would
slaughter a large number of dogs on this day to serve as main
dishes beside lychee alcohol to relieve the heat.
The origin of the Dog-eating Festival carries varied versions;
while some claim that it is a local tradition, others say that it has
only begun to be in-fashion during the last few years or so.
More than 100,000 dogs have been killed during the festival, of
which most of them are gathered from all over the country and
only a very small number is raised locally. The variety of dogs
include stray and stolen pet dogs ranging from Dalmatians,
Labradors, to Tibetan Mastiffs etc. Some dogs were also injected
with poison or with illness, which also explains food-poisoning
incidents in the past among festival-goers.
