BEIJING -- In the whirlwind of growth that is modern China, the loss of ancient traditions often provokes dismay and outrage.
But people across the country cheered recently when officials in eastern China said they were doing away with a 600-year-old local custom: the slaughter of thousands of dogs to be eaten at an autumn festival.
The Jinhua Hutou Dog Meat Festival, as it is called, was canceled last week after local officials were shamed by an online campaign begun by animal rights advocates. Gruesome photographs taken at past festivals that show canine carcasses, some bloody and others cooked, circulated on Chinese microblogs, creating popular pressure against the festival, which was set for October.
