Good article Phoebe!
I must say I wasn't aware that the halal food issue had become such a concern in China and that "creeping Islamisation" was a thing. I support people fighting against "religious fundamentalism eroding Chinese secular mainstream culture". I know "pan-halal tendencies" are a growing problem countries like Britain and France; even in my own native Australia. But it's a worry that it's now affecting China, the ultimate secular nation.
If Muslims are "offended" by CNY TV shows that feature pigs, surely they can turn off the TV. Simple. No need for the vast majority, secular Chinese, to be denied their beloved porcine pals, for the sake of a small minority of over-sensitive souls. What next? Muslims hate dogs, too; are we to have canine censorship to appease the hyper-sensitive?
So, yes — as the People's Daily says — "Butcher the pig and save some pork!"
Added: Jews too don’t eat pork and have kosher food practices (it’s where Islam took this inanity from). But they don’t make an issue out of it and demand the rest of the world hew to them.
One small thing. The capital of Shaanxi is Xi'an not "Xian". The apostrophe makes sure it's two characters (西安) and not one character (e.g. 现).
The apostrophe is important, like the difference between "its" and "it's".
It's particularly important to get this right for the Post, which prides itself on being the newspaper of record for China-related issues. You've got all the rest of the Hanyu Pinyin correct, why not this small, but important thing?
I've written numerous times to your Letters Editor about this (yes, it's bit of a bee in my pedantic bonnet), but they have ignored it. I don't know why. It's easy to fix.
Regards,
Pf, etc…
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How Chinese vigilantes want to 'take back the Year of the Pig from Islam'