TRAVEL NEWS | ASIA
Advice for visitors to China
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The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society International are offering advice for Americans traveling to China.
The organization says its tips on what to buy and what to eat are designed "to help those wishing to make animal-friendly decisions while in China."
For example, the Humane Society says that although it is legal to sell ivory in China, it is illegal to bring it back to the United States because it comes from poached elephants. Some traditional Chinese medicines contain ingredients from endangered animals as well. Also, beware of items made from or trimmed in fur or leather. The Humane Society says dogs and cats are among the animals killed for their fur in China.
In addition, the Humane Society cautions against buying items made of wood because China imports tropical timber from places like Indonesia, "which destroys orangutan habitat."
Souvenirs recommended by the Humane Society include tea, jewelry, carvings and other crafts made from cloth, pottery, paper, stone or metal.
The organization also urges visitors to be careful about menu choices. Dog meat has been banned from menus in China during the Olympics, but the Humane Society says the use of snakes, turtles and other small animals in various recipes is "decimating wild populations." Even bird's nest soup, the Humane Society says, involves removing nests from the wild. The Humane Society also says "sharks are in decline worldwide, largely because of the demand for their fins" for use in soup.
The Humane Society says the phrase "wo chi su" may be interpreted as "I want to eat vegetables," while the phrase "quan su" means "vegetarian in the Chinese Buddhist tradition, which prohibits eating onions and garlic."
 Should we take offense, order a drink, or what? That depends, of course, on where you think these words turned up. |
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