Pet Friendly Carnival in Chizhou, Anhui Province, China

Mr Zhao Wanping, a member of the National People's Congress, was the keynote speaker at the event.

On April 26, 2025, the Chizhou Rural Tourism Route Launch and the Diting Jiuhua-Qingyang Pet Friendly Carnival series of activities kicked off in Qingyang County, Chizhou City, Anhui Province, China.

In the scenic area of Jiuziyan in Qingyang County, Chizhou City, there is the world's only ancient pagoda dedicated to small animals, the Diting Tower, built in the Southern Song Dynasty. In Buddhism, Diting is the white dog of the Bodhisattva Jizang, symbolising loyalty, dharma protection and wisdom.

With the theme of "Travelling in the Countryside - Chizhou", the event was organised through the release of rural tourism routes, combining the culture of Diting and the pet-friendly theme, and held a carnival to provide visitors with an opportunity to get close to nature and experience village life, and also to create a platform for pet lovers to share their joy, thus further enriching the content of Chizhou's rural tourism and promoting the integration of cultural and tourism industries. This will further enrich the content of rural tourism in Chizhou, promote the integrated development of culture and tourism industry, and help revitalise the villages. The event was attended by pet families from 13 provinces and cities across the country, with warm pet interactions and highlights on the scene.

During the event, Mr Zhao Wanping, a deputy to the National People's Congress, gave a keynote speech on "Building a Harmonious Society for People and Pets, Promoting Legislation on Companion Animals, and Stimulating the New Dynamics of Corporate Social Responsibility". Starting from 2019, Representative Zhao Wanping has been submitting motions and proposals related to the protection of companion animals to the National People's Congress and the National People's Congress for seven consecutive years. At the 2025 session of the NPC, he joined 31 deputies to propose a motion to enact a law on the protection and management of companion animals. He pointed out that China's existing laws have clear regulations on wild animals and economic animals, but the management of companion animals has long been in a "fragmented" state, leading to frequent problems such as abuse, abandonment, and illegal trade. It is recommended that legislation be passed to clarify the responsibilities of keepers, regulate the breeding trade, establish a rescue system for stray animals, and bring abusive behaviour into the scope of legal penalties.

In Eastern mythology, Diting, the Ksitigarbha's hound is a mystical symbol of wisdom. It is able to understand the secrets of the three realms and recognise the six paths of reincarnation, and with pure loyalty, it silently guards the safety and tranquillity of mankind. While the mythological spirit guards the laws of heaven and earth with extraordinary abilities, dogs in the real world guard human lives and livelihoods with their flesh and blood and infinite loyalty in various fields. Such as search and rescue dogs, guide dogs, police dogs, drug detector dogs, companion dogs and so on, these dogs may not have amazing feats, but they use a lifetime of companionship to interpret the deeper meaning of protection. They have proved with practical actions that dogs have been the most reliable guardians of human beings since human beings domesticated them.

Dogs have always been the same protection for human beings, but there are many deficiencies in human protection of dogs. Every year, 30 million dogs are eaten around the world, the black industry chain of theft, robbery, poisoning and killing is unending, and animal cruelty is rampant. These phenomena not only violate the principle of harmonious coexistence between humans and animals, but also expose the lack of due respect for life. Protecting dogs is essentially protecting the bottom line of human civilisation. Dogs teach us loyalty and love with a lifetime of protection, and human beings should return this trust with civilisation and responsibility. Perhaps when we learn to treat these furry friends as equals, human civilisation will move to a higher level.