China's Olympic bid city under fur trade pressure
Campaigners hope a successful Winter Games application will convince co-hosts Zhangjiakou to reform its booming luxury economy
China's proposed Winter Olympics co-host boasts pristine ski slopes carpeted with artificial snow, but the city once dubbed the country's "fur capital" is also home to tens of thousands of caged rabbits and mink bred for their skins.
The Chinese bid, the favourite to win the right to host the 2022 games today, combines ice sports in Beijing with skiing events in Zhangjiakou, some 200km north of the capital.
Described by the bid committee as "ideal for snow sports", the city was better known for producing furs under the Qing dynasty - and the industry still employs at least 70,000 people in the area.
I hope if awarded the Winter Olympics Zhangjiakou will take the opportunity to change and reform this cruel industry
It will generate more than five billion yuan (HK$6.3 billion) of business this year, provincial officials say, and includes more than 1,500 firms processing pelts into products.
The Zhangjiakou city government said on its website the breeding of fur animals has reached a "high water mark", with new projects emerging as fast as "bamboo shoots after spring rain".
On one farm on the city's outskirts, hundreds of mink, rabbits and foxes were packed into rows of wire cages barely large enough for them to pace around.
