Public uproar has forced the government to ban a carnival in which dogs are eaten after being chopped up alive in the street.
The tradition in Qianxi, in the province of Zhejiang, dates back 600 years and celebrates a military victory. It is normally held every October.
"Vendors began to butcher dogs in public a few years ago to show their dog meat is fresh and safe," the Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.
But pictures which circulated online via popular microblogging sites had such an impact that the government gave in to demands that the festival be banned.
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