Yewei


Yewei is a Southern Chinese form of game that includes exotic animals and wild animals.

Terminology

The word 野 means "wild", and is the shortened form of 野兽, which means "wild beasts".

History

Historically, members of the imperial courts in Chinese dynastic eras requested grand animals for their meals. Famous examples include the Manchu Han Imperial Feast. Today, yewei can be eaten by anyone with access to wild animals, which can also be imported.

Animals eaten

Yewei can include badgers, bats, beavers, civets, crocodiles, foxes, giant salamanders, hedgehog, marmots, ostrich, otters,
pangolins, peacocks, pheasants, porcupines, rabbit and rabbit organs, rats, snakes, spotted deer, turtles and wolf pups.

Culture

It has been reported that the consumption of wildlife appeals only to a minority of people in China. However, the topic of whether it should be consumed has had some mixed reactions. According to a 2006 survey by WildAid and the, about 70% of 24,000 people surveyed in sixteen cities in mainland China had not eaten wild animals in the previous year, up from 51% in a similar 1999 survey. In a 2014 survey of several cities in China, 52.7% of respondents agreed with the statement that wildlife should not be consumed.
According to The Guardian, locals in Southern China sometimes boast that they will "eat anything with four legs except a table".
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the Chinese government made the practice illegal, amidst growing calls inside China to permanently ban the wildlife trade.