Fw: Chinese Animal market in Guangzhou

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Agence France-Presse Monday, 28-Jan-2002 6:10AM

 

Guangzhou's notorious Qing Ping animal market lives on by Alan Low, Agence

France-Presse

 

GUANGZHOU, Jan 28 (AFP) - Despite attempts by authorities in the southern

Chinese city of Guangzhou to clear its notorious Qing Ping animal market, a

few diehard traders still offer shoppers a wide selection of furry and scaly

creatures for the pot.

 

Crowded alleyways that once bristled with activity and resounded to cries

from every animal and bird imaginable, have now been largely replaced by

retailers selling food, carpets and clothing.

 

However, a short stretch of road on the corner of Ti Yu Dong Lu and Zhu Ji

Lu houses the remnants of the once sprawling Qing Ping market where the

animal trade remains very much alive, though the beasts face only one fate.

 

" This whole shopping area used to be Qing Ping market... full of animals and

birds in cages waiting to be slaughtered. But about two years ago the

authorities came and closed most of it down, " a policeman said. " Now there

are only little bits here and there. Before you could buy anything... even

rhino horns and tiger penises. "

 

Guangzhou people are renowned for their appetite for anything that moves and

the list of animals for sale in Qing Ping reads like a pet shop inventory.

 

Dishevelled cats, cute dogs and fluffy, plump rabbits are readily available,

but that's just for starters.

 

How about terrapin, deer or perhaps 40-year-old tortoise on your table,

followed by a healthy dollop of beetle or scorpion soup?

 

However, what the authorities started the economic slowdown in China could

help finish.

 

Although the economy continues to hold up amid a global slowdown,

stallholders have felt the pinch, battling for buyers with promises of knock

down prices.

 

Incensed shop owner Chao bawls out one customer who, after carefully fixing

a baby deer to the back of his bike, had the audacity to ask for a discount.

 

" Don't try and bargain me for nine yuan (1.1 dollars), " yells Chao.

 

" If you can buy another deer around here for less than 100 yuan, you come

back to me. I'll pay you the difference myself. "

 

Faint-hearted vegetarians and animal rights activists would be well advised

to steer clear of Qing Ping where deer and dogs all meet the same swift if

brutal end under the butcher's chopper.

 

A little further down Ti Yun Dong Lu, another stallowner proudly parades his

collection of tortoises lumbering around in the back of his shop.

 

" They sell for around 1,500 yuan. It's a bargain. Just think how long it

takes to breed a 40-year-old tortoise.

 

" They're not easy to catch... slow, but heavy, " he said, not revealing where

they had come from.

 

Fully-grown cats and dogs sell for nine yuan a catty (about 1.5 pounds, 670

grams), kittens go for a mere four yuan while live terrapins and frogs could

be stewing in a soup pot for around 20 yuan.

 

Although the animals are consumed for sustenance, the Chinese have also long

believed that certain creatures have medicinal qualities.

 

Deer penises reportedly boost male sexual stamina, snake wine helps ease

arthritis and frog fat beautifies women's skin.

 

A woman selling baby scorpions scoops up a handful before calling out to

prospective customers: " Come on. For 150 yuan, you can get a bagful. They

make a great soup and it's good for your health.

 

" They're not poisonous. Just pull the stinger off like this, " she added

expertly nipping it off with her fingers.

 

However, other shops in the vicinity now sell goldfish or dogs and cats as

pets. A St Bernard puppy costs 1,500 yuan while a Cocker Spaniel goes for

1,100 yuan.

 

" We breed them in our back garden, " the store owner said. " The ladies love

them... they sell really well. "

 

And if you want fresh dog but prefer it without the bark, then various

eateries in the area offer a dish of cooked canine for a mere 10 yuan,

including rice and a glass of Chinese tea to wash it down.