shark fin consumption dropped drasticallyby | 04-08-2013 12:05 |
|---|
 I must come clean that I once loved the 'shark fin' souphowever, after watching a documentary, how sharks got handled, eating it was out of question. But 'shark fin' soup is still sold in many Chinese restaurants in big cities in Korea. 'Shark-fin' soup is most popular in China, 3,100 metric tons of shark fin were consumed in China last year. Shark fin has been part of Chinese culture for centuries. It is traditionally served at weddings, big parties, and other important occasions. The fins have assumed to prevent cardiovascular disease and improve person's complexion. The 'shark-fin' capital of the world is HongKong. Roughly around the half of the tens of millions of fins head to HongKong market. But this year, the fin consumption has dropped 50% drastically. YaoMing, Jackie Chan, and Ang Lee, celebrities play a big role in awareness campaign. Prof.Veronica Mak, an anthropologist at the Chinese University of HongKong stated that not consuming shark fins becomes a kind of signifier to show you are a socially responsible person in China these days. In the past, when people wanted to show your social status, they made shark fins a signifier in a banquet, but nowadays young people seemed to be shunning the soup. As it is indicated from Prof.Mak's comment, young people's notion of awareness plays a huge role on conserving a wildlife, further a eco system. Yao Ming(Former NBA professional basketball player)'s awareness campaign video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJG7RaLX-DM |
