Ever year, the southern Chinese city of Yulin has a festival to celebrate an ancient tradition that is historically important for some, and incredibly controversial for others. It’s the annual dog meat festival, and while the idea might be hard for some to handle, it’s part of China’s rich cultural history. However, some Chinese people don’t share that view, and one of them is Yang Xiaoyun. Yang, 65, traveled over 1,500 miles from her home in Tiajin to purchase 100 dogs from the festival, for which she paid about $1000. This act was nothing new for Yang: She has been rescuing animals from untimely fates since 1995, when she pulled an abandoned kitten from a river. Her work continues to this day.
