Bathing with dogs in Dalian – China’s latest society and culture news
A summary of the top news in Chinese society and culture for August 3, 2017. Part of the daily The China Project newsletter, a convenient package of China’s business, political, and cultural news delivered to your inbox for free. Subscribe here.
The beaches of the northeastern coastal city of Dalian are popular summer destinations for locals and tourists. However, this year, some beach goers were appalled to find a crowd of unexpected guests sharing sunshine and water with them: pet dogs.
ThePaper.cn reports (in Chinese) that several pet dogs, including some large breeds, were spotted at the crowded beach in Fujiangzhuang. Reporters observed these dogs wandering freely on the beach and even swimming alongside tourists. A frequent visitor to the beach told the newspaper that it was not uncommon for dog owners to bring their pets with them.
“It’s really annoying to see these dogs pee and poop on the beach, and now they are polluting the water. I need to carefully keep a distance from them every time I swim,” another person told the reporter. When reached by the newspaper, the management office of the park said, “Without enforcement powers, all we can do is encourage them not to bring pet dogs to the beach.”
Online, opinions on the news went both ways. Many dog lovers claimed that even if dogs are denied access to the beach, water won’t be completely clean from contamination, since human beings can also pee while swimming. “What about fish poop? People don’t seem to have an opinion about that,” one commenter wrote (in Chinese). Others accused dog owners of being inconsiderate of other people’s feelings. “These slaves of dogs are the most selfish group of people on earth,” another commenter wrote.
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