Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    Europe

    Culinary warning to protect precious wildlife

    By Li Fangchao | China Daily Europe | Updated: 2017-05-26 08:50
    Share
    Share - WeChat

    Instead of hurrying to consume these creatures, Chinese people should focus on treasuring and conserving thembefore it is too late

    Chinese people, known for their love for food and exquisite cuisines, were naturally drawn to reports on two seafood products in foreign countries. In late April, a post in the official account of Denmark's embassy in Beijing on Weibo, a Twitter-like Chinese website, said the coastline of the Scandinavian country has been plagued by a large number of "wild" oysters from the Pacific. The post also said local residents don't know how to deal with the oyster "invasion" and asked Chinese tourists to visit the country on a special "oyster-eating tour".

    And earlier this month, a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation also drew the attention of many Chinese. The report said tens of thousands of "wild" salmon swim close to the Parry Beach in Southwest Australia to spawn every autumn. And since fishermen catch tons of salmon and local residents, who find it hard to bear the fishy smell, use themas baits for lobsters, most of the huge salmon catch goes to "waste".

    Many Chinese lamented the huge waste of oysters and salmon. Chinese people's diet consists of perhaps the widest variety of food, from vegetables and fruits to meats and seafood. And that might be the reason why reports saying that Danes and Australians don't know what to do with the huge "cache" of oysters and salmon seem so ludicrous to the Chinese people. Some people even jokingly posted comments on the Denmark embassy's account saying that once Chinese arrived in groups in Denmark, the bivalve mollusks would soon make it to the list of endangered species.

    Jokes aside, one of the main reasons the two news reports caught the attention of Chinese people is the word "wild". To begin with, most of the oysters we get in markets are farmed - oyster farming started decades ago - and several years ago the United States started captive breeding of salmon.

    The word "wild" has a fascinating effect on Chinese people also because hardly any animals survive in large numbers in the wild in China. They see the abundance of "wild" oysters and salmon in Denmark and Australia, respectively, as not only a gift of nature, but also a sign of good environmental protection.

    China has lost much of its wildlife thanks partly to its rapid economic growth, which has had a huge impact on its environment because of severe air, water and soil pollution.

    Because of the insatiable appetite of some people, many wild animals have entered the list of endangered species or have become extinct. For example, the Chinese pangolin, whose scales many falsely believe have health benefits, can no longer be found in the wild because of over-hunting. The wild yellow croaker, a fish which was abundant in the East China Sea in the 1950s, has become a memory for many due to over-fishing. And the Yangtze River's knifefish, a delicacy for many Chinese, is fast-moving toward extinction.

    The reports on the oysters and salmon, which unwittingly highlighted the sharp contrast between China and some other countries, should be a warning for us that, if we do not better protect the environment, we could soon lose all the wild animals in the country.

    Given that hunger and starvation have haunted Chinese people down the ages, right up to the 1970s, many people's mouth-watering response to the two news reports is not surprising. But times have changed. Although China still has a relatively large number of poor people, starvation is a thing of the past. Therefore the consumption of wild animals to satiate hunger too should become a thing of the past.

    Chinese people should also abandon their superstitious belief that some wild animals' parts have health benefits, and allow wildlife to survive. And, hence, instead of embarking an oyster-eating tour to Denmark or paying a visit to Australia to savor salmon, let's make more efforts to repair our environment and protect our wildlife, because it will eventually save us from extinction.

    The writer is an editor with China Daily. Contact the writer at lifangchao@chinadaily.com.cn

    (China Daily European Weekly 05/26/2017 page10)

    Today's Top News

    Editor's picks

    Most Viewed

    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    久久国产精品无码网站| 中文无码不卡的岛国片| 免费无码一区二区三区蜜桃| 无码任你躁久久久久久久| 亚洲午夜无码久久久久| 最好看最新的中文字幕免费| 免费无码专区毛片高潮喷水| 日韩人妻精品无码一区二区三区| 中文字幕精品一区| 久久久中文字幕| 亚洲人成无码www久久久| 无码国产精品一区二区免费16| 久草中文在线观看| 日韩高清在线中文字带字幕| 天堂AV无码AV一区二区三区| 久久亚洲AV成人出白浆无码国产| 2014AV天堂无码一区 | 免费无码毛片一区二区APP| 欧美日韩中文字幕在线看| 亚洲VA中文字幕不卡无码| 无码人妻AⅤ一区二区三区水密桃| 国产成人无码精品一区二区三区| 亚洲中久无码永久在线观看同| 亚洲乱码中文字幕手机在线| 精品久久久久久久久久中文字幕 | 精品久久久久久久久中文字幕| 无码毛片一区二区三区中文字幕| 777久久精品一区二区三区无码| 亚洲AV无码精品色午夜果冻不卡 | 日韩网红少妇无码视频香港| 无码人妻丰满熟妇区免费 | 国产精品无码a∨精品| 久久久久成人精品无码中文字幕| 免费A级毛片无码专区| 中文字幕无码毛片免费看| 欧美亚洲精品中文字幕乱码免费高清| 熟妇人妻不卡中文字幕| 最好看更新中文字幕| 国产激情无码一区二区三区| 亚洲AV无码一区二区二三区入口| 无码人妻精品中文字幕免费|