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"China Daily" criticises Shanghai bullfights
02 November 2004 Chinese national newspaper, China Daily, has strongly criticised a bullfighting event held in Shanghai. The two days of cruelty took place on October 23rd and 24th. The venue was a city stadium which was converted into a bullring at a cost of around $605,000. The matador and bulls were imported from Spain and Mexico for what the organisers called "a bullfight with a truly Spanish flavour". However, the introduction into China of an anachronism that is facing growing opposition in Spain and around the world, has been described by China Daily newspaper as "a mistake". "Bringing in a cruel entertainment that has been widely condemned by civilised society to promote the city's image is more likely to end up bringing shame," their October 25th article stated. "While animal protection and anti-violence is becoming more fashionable in society, Shanghai's 'bravery' in staging this kind of blood sport betrays its position as one of China's most modern cities." "Rather than a milestone in its bid to [attain] a much-coveted international metropolis status, the bullfighting episode is more like a slap in the face," the newspaper added. Maria Lopes of the International Movement Against Bullfights, described the event as a fiasco. "It was not a huge success, as some bullfighters and aficionados are claiming," she said. "The bullfighters talk about 8,000 and 10,000 attending but this is contradicted by the news agency of China who speak of about 2,000 people. We suspect that it was also a fiasco financially. They spent lots of money to buy and transport the bulls from Mexico and to pay the bullfighters; in the end, the tickets sold probably won't pay all the money spent to organise and perform the bullfights." Despite this, three other cities in China have expressed an interest in hosting bullfights. Earlier this year, objections from both within China and around the world led to the cancellation of plans to bring bullfighting to Beijing. The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is calling on the Chinese authorities to prevent further bullfights from taking place in Shanghai or elsewhere in the country.
Action Item 1 Comment on the China Daily article. Read the article and click on "Comment on this" at the end of the page to express your views on bullfighting cruelty. Call for a rejection of bullfighting and all blood sports in China. Action Item 2 Contact the authorities listed below and voice your objections to the bullfighting in Shanghai. Ask them to give a commitment that no more blood sports will be held in Shanghai or elsewhere in China: Shanghai Government, Chinese Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Public Health, National Tourism Administration, The Supreme People’s Procuratorate of China. The list of relevant email addresses are as follows: webmaster@shanghai.gov.cn,gov@govonline.cn; webmaster@mfa.gov.cn; webmaster@agri.gov.cn; szw@ccnt.gov.cn; webmaster@ccnt.com.cn; manage@chsi.moh.gov.cn; WebMaster@cnta.gov.cn; webmaster@spp.gov.cn
SAMPLE LETTER
To whom it may concern: I wish to register my opposition to the hosting of bullfights by Chinese cities. It was disappointing to learn that a bullfighting event took place in Shanghai in October. This blood sport is opposed by a majority of people in Spain and across Europe and the world. Allowing such animal cruelty to take place in Shanghai or other Chinese cities will undoubtedly prove harmful to their international reputations. I hope China will reject bullfighting (as Beijing did earlier this year) and introduce legislation outlawing this abhorrent blood sport. Thank you for considering my appeal. I look forward to your positive response.
Yours sincerely,
Action Item 3 Please contact the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland, Sha Hailin, and ask for your concerns about bullfighting to be passed on to the government in China. Click Here for contact details for Chinese Ambassadors around the world
Sha Hailin
Tel: +353 (0)1 2691707
More Info: Bullfighting Cruelty
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