Monthly Archives: June 2006

[in translation via ESWN]

Chickens were turned into meatballs for hotpot meals and the slaughter of the chickens took place right on the street not far away from the diners. This scene occurred at a newly opened restaurant “Fangji Chicken Meatball Restaurant” in Shenzhen. Yesterday afternoon, almost one hundred animal rights defenders gathered in front of the restaurant to protest. At one point, the angry chicken lovers entered the chicken meatball restaurant to demand the shop owner to free the chickens.

On June 15, this reporter went to the Fangji Chicken Meatball Restaurant on Lianhua Road in Buji district of Shenzhen. The shop is about 10 or so square meters in area. There were seven cages containing chickens of various colors on the sidewalk in front. The slaughter area was just one or two meters away from the cages. Two shop employees took a brown chicken, slit its throat and drained its blood. Then they picked up the dead chicken with a thong and threw it into a large iron pot of boiling water. Afterwards, they picked the chicken up and then the two shop employees used a sharp knife to skin the chicken. After washing the chicken, they cut off the head and tossed it into a garbage bag on the side. According to the shop owner, they are from the Jiaozhou-Shantou area where chicken meat is popular. The chicken soup for the hotpot costs 25 yuan while the chicken meatballs cost 60 yuan per kilogram. Each chicken will yield at most one kilogram, and therefore this is expensive stuff.

Yesterday afternoon at 4pm, the founder of the Shenzhen Chicken Net Isobel went with more than 10 chicken lovers in front of the shop. They held publicity placards and leaflets and they were waiting to meet other chicken lovers. Isobel explained the Chicken Net is an organization that is concerned about stray chickens. After this newspaper reported on the problem of chicken slaughtering and consumption in the street, the Chicken Net netizens were heartbroken and therefore decided to hold an action to protest the act of slaughtering chickens in the street.

At 430pm, the protestors unfolded a banner and raised their placards on which were written slogans such as “Love little animals, respect life.” They distributed the leaflet for “A Letter to Shenzhen Citizens” which said that “chickens and pigs are friends of human beings and refusing to eat chicken and pig meat is to respect life.” The action received the attention of many pedestrians and residents.

Before the action, the organizer Isobel told the reporter that they wanted to adopt a rational approach. But during the protest, some angry protestors went into the chicken meatball restaurant and demanded the shop owner to free the chickens. The shop owner said that there were no more chickens in the restaurant. The reporter observed that there was only one goose and several cats. The protestors found a skinned chicken and two bags of chicken meatballs in the refrigerator. At the sight, several female chicken lovers hugged each other and cried. When the protestors could not find any chickens in the restaurant, they attempted to go upstairs to look but found nothing.

Even though the chicken rescue mission failed, the protestors made speeches in front of the restaurant with a loudspeaker. Many elementary school children and their parents were attracted to the scene, and some students also protested against the slaughter of chickens.

Against the condemnations from the numerous chicken lovers, the chicken meatball restaurant owner took down the plastic “Fang Company Chicken Meatball” sign, locked up the shop and left.

At 6pm, after the chicken meatball restaurant owner has left, the protestors prepared to proceed to another restaurant in Shawan. Supposedly that restaurant advertises with a sign that says “Chicken Meat 120.” Isobel said that there are no animal protection laws and so their actions are awkward. They want to gain government attention to come up with legislation to prevent cruelty against animals.

Ms Shenzhen 2005 Gao Haiyun is the spokesperson for Chicken Net. Today, she brought along a banner that said: “Boycott harmful eating habits; refuse to eat chickens and pigs; be a civilized person.” According to information, this incident gained a lot of attention at the Guangdong One Net, so that many of their netizens came to join the Chicken Net chicken lovers to protest yesterday. Almost one hundred people were at the protest today.

In memory of all the slaughtered chickens, each protestor wore a white rose on the lapel.

This is a Southern Metropolis Daily article. Well, it’s a slightly modified Southern Metropolis Daliy article, as I’ve changed all references of ‘cat’ to our slightly more killable fine feathered friends. (oh yeah, and ‘dog’ was changed to ‘pig’ in that one spot… and chicken to cat… I love find/replace functions)

China gets a lot of flack for what the people are ok with eating. Equal parts tradition and extreme poverty have caused the residents of this lovely nation to develop eating habits that simply gross most us Westerners out. Intestines (and not just wrapping your favourite sausage); heart, liver, gizzard, stomach, kidneys (and not just in your favourite sausage); heads, feet, joints, and pretty much every other bit’o'beast is commonly consumed.

It’s no surprise that these habits would expand to include