Yang Liwei, China's First Astronaut, Enjoyed Eating Dogs in Space

China’s first astronaut Yang Liwei shocked animal protection activists with the description of his menu during the flight.

Photo: Yang Liwei, China's First Astronaut, Enjoyed Eating Dogs in Space

"Many of my friends are curious about what we eat [in space] and think that the astronauts must have some expensive delicacies, like shark's fin or abalone [...] Actually we ate quite normal food, there is no need to keep it a secret,” he wrote in his book “The Nine Levels Between Heaven and Earth.”

For Liwei, common food included stewed chicken, fish and dog meat. The menu was developed by Chinese dieticians, whereas foodstuffs were purchased from special suppliers in Beijing.

Jill Robinson, the founder of Animals Asia, criticized Yang, whom she said was a role model for children. She told the Telegraph, "Dogs found survivors after the Sichuan earthquake and protected people from potential terrorists during the Olympic Games. Surely they deserve more."

Born in Suizhong County of Huludao City in the Liaoning Province, an industrial area in Northeast China. Yang's mother was a teacher, his father is an accountant at a state agricultural firm. Yang Liwei's wife is also a People's Liberation Army (PLA) officer, with whom he has a son.

Yang Liwei has reported the apparition of abnormal vibrations 120 seconds after launch, he described as "very uncomfortable". As a consequence, corrective measures were swiftly taken to the design of the following CZ-2F carrier rocket for the Shenzhou-6.

Dog meat is eaten in some countries and certain breeds of dogs are raised on farms and slaughtered for their meat. Cultural attitudes, legal treatment, and history regarding eating dog meat vary from country to country. Very little statistical information is available on attitudes to the consumption of dog meat.

In some societies, the consumption of dog meat is viewed as part of their traditional or contemporary culture, while in others, the consumption of dog meat is generally viewed as offensive, such as most Western cultures. (However, some Westerners support the right to eat dog meat and accuse other Westerners who protest against dog eating in non-Western countries of cultural imperialism and intolerance.