We’ve reported it cancelled and then rescheduled, but as our report yesterday suggested, the Yulin Summer Solstice Dog Eating Festival did in fact take place today, reports CNR China.

But as Yulin residents persist in continuing their tradition of eating dog meat and lychee on June 21, protests against their cultural tradition continues to mount.

Animal rights activists have descended upon the city, causing one dispute after another with local residents like the one that occurred this morning right in front of the Yulin government  building (seen in pictures shown in this post).

READ: Yulin Dog Sellers Openly Taunt Dog Lovers: “Buy the Dog or it Dies!”

However, this difference of perspective continues with Yulin residents disagreeing among themselves on how the dog eating festival is working out for the city, reports Guangming Network.

Even though some dog sellers have been reported making a lucrative profit from the sale of dogs, others are complaining that the animal activists are disrupting their sales. At a remote location used for the slaughtering of dogs, one farmer complains about the interference from outsiders:

No one was able to sell them, and the dogs have all been brought back here. all that we can sell now is maybe ten to twenty dogs. Can’t sell any, you see, and I’m not willing to say because this is a farmer’s market, run by farmers. Between you and me, it’s not entirely legal.

At the Dongkou Market where the sale of dogs fetches a price of about RMB 34-36 per kilogram, a butcher also complains about the lack of business:

The dog eating festival is a busy season, but after two or three days, the business will die down. (However,) sales are down 80% from last year.

Be that as it may, a big difference of opinion lies between the people that sell dog meat in Yulin and the ones that prepare it for customers to eat.

RELATED: Doctors In Yulin Told To Stay Away From Dog Eating Festival

Over on Jiangbin Road where many restaurants serve dog, many customers are seen dining on canine. Even though there have been many regulations passed that forbid the character “dog” from being displayed on restaurant signs and menus, and forbid restaurants from slaughtering dogs or displaying cooked dogs in public places, this appears to have no effect upon local restaurants.

One restaurant manager explained why:

People who eat dog meat all know (my store). I’ve been selling dog meat for 30 years now, and the people of Yulin all love to eat dog meat. 

In fact, the restaurant manager suggests that protests against the dog eating festival will in fact encourage more people to eat dog meat:

They (the animal rights activists) came here last year, and now business is doing better than ever. They (animal rights activists) are here again, and now we can’t even handle all the business we’re getting; we can’t even keep up with the orders of dog meat we’re getting.

The restaurant manager goes on to say that there is a solution for people who want to eat dog, but don’t want any of the controversy that goes along with it:

Everyday we get people coming here to order takeaway.

Related:

• Shocking: the Brazen Capture of a Dog in Broad Daylight in Guangdong
• Chaos in Huiyang as Dog Thieves Are Surrounded and Beaten by Angry Villagers
• Video: Dog in Heshan, Guangdong Snatched in Mere Seconds

Photos: Caijing