Pets are against the law in some places as well. I was in Nanjing and we went to a zoo - they had cats as one of the exhibits! Most people had never seen cats as they were against the law to own. Sanitary reasons from what I was told.
The food can be quite interesting. In Beijing I saw a guy cooking chickens by laying them on a sidewalk next to his stall, and heating them up with a propane torch. He would then hang them up and hack off bits and serve them. I also had 'spicy duck webs'. They were duck feet with a hot powder on them. Tasted like Cajun rubber bands on a stick. Yummy...
On the other hand - the best bacon I have ever had was in Nanjing, and sweetened snow frog soup was not nearly as bad as it sounds.
Steve