4 mil cats eaten yearly in China

A keeper checking caged cats at a house in Wuhan. The cats will
eventually end up in restaurants in Southern China

In a gloomy and damp single-story house in the rural-urban fringe of the city, hundreds of cats are locked in a foul-smelling room.

The terrified animals were rounded up in neighbouring provinces, and they will be killed in southern China to end up on dinner tables.

"After gathering a certain number, around 300, the cats will be moved to sell to restaurants in Guangdong province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region," a 'guardian' of the cats surnamed Zhou, told China Daily.

Zhou said, since it was getting cold, people in Guangdong and Guangxi eat cat meat to supplement their diet.

So his boss opened this cat shipping station on Baishazhou Avenue, Wuhan, in October, and is paying him around 1,000 Yuan (RM496.70) a month.

Breast-touching festival is on in China

The Chinese have entered the seventh month of the Lunar calendar, known as the Hungry Ghost month, which began July 31.

This period is considered unlucky for many Chinese as they believe that the ghosts are allowed to return to the human realm as the Hell Gate opens throughout the month.

While the Buddhists and Taoists prepare offerings for the homeless ghosts, a minority tribe in China have their own interesting celebration.

The Yi people in Ejia town of Yunnan province, who are still singles, will head to the streets for Breast-Touching Festival (Monai Jie) on the 14th, 15th and 16th days of the month.

On these days, the men are welcome to touch the women's breasts.

Legend has it that the festival began around the Sui Dynasty (AD 581 – 619) when most of the teenagers of the Yi tribe were forced into the army and died in wars.

The people then carried out prayers to commemorate the dead, and it happened that the ceremony was held in the seventh month.

According to the wizards, the dead were unrest because they had not touched a woman before.

And so, they wanted 10 "pure and untouched" ladies to accompany them in the afterworld.

In a move to prevent them from being chosen, the single women – aged 15 and above - then asked the men to touch their breasts, and the custom is past down for generations.