The Unofficial 2008 Beijing Olympics Blog

The latest official word from the Chinese officials is a bit unexpected and above all weird. Apparently after a recent Chinese campaign against canine-based cuisine, Beijing has called on local hotels and restaurants to stop serving dog meat during the Olympic Games next month.

Why? It’s not like the Beijingers have realized the canines make better pets, then dishes, but rather an imagine move from the government officials, who feel Westerners visiting the country during the Olympics might feel offended or even disgusted. Soon after the decision was made, the catering industry was ordered to “boycot” the unusual dish until further notice.

Restaurants and hotels were particularly targeted by the Beijing officials, as they’ll be places most frequented by westerner tourists, being placed in “key control areas” such as those along the routes to be used by the Olympic flame relay.

Though not a very popular kind of food in China, dog has long been served as a delicacy in South Korea, where it’s highly consumed. Speaking of Korea, a similar decision was made, concerning the consumption of dog meat, during the 1988 Seoul Olympics after fierce criticism from western animal rights groups.

Maoxianglou, a restaurant serving food from south-western Guizhou province, said on Thursday it had been ordered not to sell its signature “Huajiang Dog”, a dish reputedly good for people suffering from high blood pressure or frequent night-time urination. For those who don’t respect the official order, there’s no clear form of punishment present, but apparently the decision is being respected unanimously.

“We are not allowed to sell it during the Olympic period – and it’s not clear what will happen afterwards,” said a restaurant employee.

Although the current campaign is backed by Guo Jinlong, Beijing mayor, one industry official suggested there were doubts among the bureaucracy about how to enforce it and concerns that visitors from South Korea might be disappointed at not being able to eat dog. Still, it appears that dedicated dog devourers will not be denied the dish completely during the games, which open on August 8. A manager at Gourou Dawang, a restaurant in southern Beijing whose name translates as “Dog Meat King”, said it was trading as normal.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our free updates via RSS or e-mail. Find out more about subscribing here. Thanks for visiting!