A vegan festival is held on June 22, the same day when the dog meat festival is celebrated in Yulin city, Guangxi autonomous region. (Photo/www.fawan.com)
(ECNS) -- A controversial dog meat festival was celebrated on Monday along Jiangbin road in Yulin city, Guangxi autonomous region, alongside a vegan event taking place just four kilometers away.
Unlike last year, there were no violent protests at the dog meat festival this time round. All meat vendors were moved indoors while police officers stood in a line along the street. People dispersed when their appetite was filled.
A vegan event was held in a suburban area of Gushan village, just four kilometers away from downtown Yulin. The initiative was first held to celebrate the Summer Solstice in 2011, with 2015 marking its fifth edition, according to Mr. Yang, the organizer.
The hour-long vegan event was supported by Baoshanzhai, a Buddhist institution. In contrast to the dog meat festival, it offered free vegetarian food. About 300 to 400 people, mostly families, attended this year's event, compared to about 500 people who came last year, Yang said. Numbers were lower this year because it was raining, it was added.
