Look, I feel your pain. But if this kind of stuff seriously bothers you, China is not the country for you.

The concept of avoiding cruelty to animals doesn't seem to exist here, at least not in the mainstream. From the perspective of many Chinese, animals are simply here to feed us, clothe us, provide us with medicine ingredients, plow our fields, transport us, or entertain us. Their suffering is no concern of the human race.

Of course, there are many exceptions to this. And it IS changing. But, like everything else in China, it will change very, very slowly and all the rainbow-clad sprout-munching PETA activists in the world (not to mention all those boozy, disgruntled English teachers) can't change that no matter how firmly they may believe they can.

It's like many other things... shouting won't help, and the best you can do if you're here is teach by example. If you see cruelty to animals (and you will, if you're here very long) then show your displeasure. You might influence a couple of drops that in turn will help convert the whole bucket. Someday.