Sean said – Why not come to JiaXing with me on Sunday. And why not – what else is there to do. And so we jumped in a car with two of his business associates and burned down the Jiaxing.
First stop was a pig theme park called Pig Planet – well, at least I think that’s what it was supposed to be called. All the marketing signs, business cards etc. had “Pig Pianet” on. Why oh why don’t Chinese people get someone to check the English before they use it everywhere.
Anyway the Pig Planet was full of pink plastic pigs and to my great surprise there was also an arena where there were performing pigs. They were playing football and ‘dancing’ while famlies with young children waved plastic batons and cheered.
The children’s magician was reasonably good and his white dove was pulled quickly around a hundred childlren’s hands as they stood reaching across the barrier to touch the bird. After the show, we were taken back stage to see the pigs and how they were kept. I didn’t really want to see it – afraid of the conditions but I think they were as good as you can expect from a Chinese performing pig palace.
Sean’s task at Pig Planet was to check on the landscaping which he had designed for the owners – make sure the trees were planted in the right place (I guess) – they spent a long time looking at a dead tree.
Everyone except me (so that means all the Chinese) spent a while stroking the donkey and the mule and staring at the peacock which was pacing back and forth in his pen.
I tend to stay away from caged animals in China – it only makes me sad to see how they are kept so I make the decision not to look – you cannot unsee something you have seen.
Lunch was at the pleasure of the manager and was a feast of pork – I mean a huge amount of pork and three glasses of beer – I didn’t want that much but failed to stop it coming. Actually the beer was great – made by Germans using German equipment.
PIG PIANET is part of a much larger pig based industry, from breeding, butchering, processing and retailing. It’s pig from snout to curly tail. A long vertical pig journey.