The summer solstice is the brightest day of the year — an occasion on which people celebrate the sun and light, symbols of benevolent deities at the heart of every religion in the ancient civilisations. Various cultures still celebrate the summer solstice today, yet the festival of light conceals unsettling shadows, as is the case in China.

What happens in Yulin

In the south of the country, in Yulin, a traditional festival is held every 21 June to mark the beginning of the warm season. There would be nothing wrong with this, were it not for the fact that the main dish consumed in abundance throughout the festival is dog meat, accompanied by lychee wine.

Before the event begins, the city fills with cages in which dogs are crammed together awaiting slaughter — often carried out summarily with clubs — and cooking. Dog meat is a traditional dish in Chinese culture; it is believed to improve male fertility and to ward off evil spirits and illness.

Consumption of these animals takes place throughout the year, of course, but peaks around 21 June, when more than 10,000 dogs are slaughtered. China is divided: on one side are those who have no wish to give up a food that has been eaten since 550 AD; on the other, those who consider this tradition barbaric and outdated, partly because dogs have become increasingly common as pets across the country.

Animal rights activists around the world are campaigning against this event. The animal welfare organisation Duo Duo has launched a petition on change.org calling for the event to be cancelled, gathering hundreds of thousands of signatures.

The spectacle is striking for a Westerner accustomed to regarding dogs as man's best friend: hanging from stalls scattered across the city are skinned and cooked dogs, skewered on butcher's hooks.

A dangerous event, for humans too

Activists say the event is also dangerous for public health: the dogs are mostly strays and undergo no quarantine to ensure they are healthy. The animals are also frequently poisoned with chemical substances.

The Chinese government has distanced itself from the festival, describing it as a limited and unauthorised phenomenon. "I attended the festival in 2014," said Andrea Gung, a member of Duo Duo. "I saw dogs wagging their tails right up until the moment they were slaughtered. The trust that dogs place in human beings is far greater than that of other animals — eating them is an act of betrayal."

To Westerners, the idea of eating a dog is unacceptable, yet in many Asian countries eating these animals is not a taboo: between 13 and 16 million are consumed each year, along with four million cats; in Anglo-Saxon countries, by contrast, horsemeat is rejected with disgust.

Different countries, different taboos. What is the difference between a dog, a pig, a cat, a chicken, a horse or a sea bass? Perhaps it lies in our feelings towards them, or in intelligence assessed by our own anthropocentric standards. Cultural traditions are important, but life is more so — the life of any living being.