Yulin Dog Meat Festival
Despite worldwide protests, the bloody spectacle is taking place in China once again.
On the day of the summer solstice, the Lychee and Dog Meat Festival begins in the southern Chinese city of Yulin; each year, at least ten thousands dogs and cats are slaughtered, butchered, roasted, cooked or boiled, and eaten there.
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Before their heads are smashed with hammers or iron bars or their throats are slit, the dogs languish for days on end, crammed into cages that are far too small. Thousands of them, stacked on top of one another, are transported by truck from the surrounding area to the city of Yulin in the southern Chinese Guangxi province—a city of six million people near the border with Vietnam. At the market, vendors then offer the dogs for sale, selling them alive or slaughtering them on the spot. This year, the spectacle runs from June 21 to 30. It begins when, according to the calendar, summer begins—a day that is actually meant to be a time of joy and celebration. Those who enjoy eating dog meat are certainly in high spirits at the festival in Yulin as well. Many they believe, reports the British Independent, eating the meat during the summer months brings luck and good health. Some also believe dog meat can ward off diseases and heighten men’s sexual performance. The meat, chopped into cubes, is either stir-fried in a wok, simmered in a pot, or grilled on skewers like shashlik. To accompany the meal, festival-goers eat lychees as well as other fruits and vegetables.
According to estimates by animal rights activists, at least 10,000 dogs are killed and eaten at every festival in Yulin. And cats. Although the number of cats killed is lower than that of dogs, eating them is an integral part of the festival. The animals sold—whether dogs or cats—often come from illegal sources, as they are not raised on breeding farms but are captured on the streets. Even pets are stolen. Many of them are still wearing their collars in the cages, as can be seen in a secretly recorded video.
Pet owners aren’t the only ones who have been calling for a ban on the dog meat festival for years. The festival’s organizers claim that the animals are killed humanely and that “eating dog meat is no different from eating pork or beef.” Animal rights activists counter that the animals are treated cruelly, sometimes clubbed to death in public, as many people subscribe to the superstition that tortured animals release more adrenaline, which makes their meat more flavorful. Activists also point out that the hygiene practices at the festival do not fall in line with Chinese regulations. They also reject the argument that the festival is rooted in tradition, since before its introduction, there had been no mass slaughter or consumption of dogs in Yulin. Rather, they say, the event was launched by dog traders to boost profits.
It is these vendors who keep the festival going. The government in Beijing officially distances itself from the event and emphasizes that it does not provide any state support. In 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture also officially reclassified dogs from livestock to pets. However, ten million of dogs and four million cats are still eaten in China every year because the consumption of their meat is legally permitted. As long as that remains the case, the authorities maintain that their hands are tied.
But attitudes are changing. Keeping dogs as pets was banned during the Cultural Revolution, but dog ownership has become popular among China’s growing middle-class; there are now 62 million registered as pets. Since the Yulin festival began, animal rights activists have rescued thousands of dogs over the years. Chinese and international celebrities have publicly spoken out against the bloody spectacle. A survey published in May 2025 found that an overwhelming majority of 87,5 percent of Yulin residents never or rarely eat dog or cat meat, and just as many do not foresee any negative impact on their lives if a ban on the trade were to be implemented.
Shortly before the 2026 Festival, a dog slaughterhouse in Yulin was shut down after local activists, supported by the animal rights organization Humane World of Animals, reached a legally binding agreement with the operator. He now plans to convert the facility into a breakfast service offering rice porridge and fried pastries. For many animal rights activists, this marks a milestone toward alternative sources of income in the city—and a future in which the Dog Meat Festival will be a thing of the past.
This text was first published on my German website and translated by me.