Olympics Goldfish Trinket
Saw this in the paper this morning – lots of anti-China press on this. I get annoyed reading some of the right-wing rubbish in the papers about China, clearly written by people who have never been there in their life and so nothing about the context of what they are saying.
People here think this is incrediby cruel and selfish as the fish will only have enough oxygen to live for a few hours before suffocating. This is true and it is disturbing that for the Olympic games people are prepared to go so low as to make money from this – but if there is demand for such a product (as there is in china) then business is business.
To most westerners this is an example of the Chinese selling anything to make a quick profit, but people from here do not understand that the Chinese have a different cultural attitude towards animals, and misplace this as thinking the Chinese are cruel to animals.
Having visied the zoo in Changchun quite a few times, I know that almost all westerners would be appaled at the way in which the animals are treated – especially in being made to perform tricks – jump through hoops on fire, ride bikes and even try their hand at roller skates.
However, I think it is quite hypocritical for westerners to get on their high horse and pontificate animal-rights when this was the norm here- how things were done – not so long ago.
It is a very recent concept that animals should be free to roam in zoos in environments akin to their natural habitats. China is not yet at a this stage, but as with most things in China, it will in time.
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well, animals are treated much better in Shanghai than in Changchun, I think~