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This article came out this past summer detailing how certain celebrities are going to bat to help save the environment and certain species endangered by human activity.

The article began:

Last week, Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 Shanghai-born N.B.A. star, went slightly out on a limb. He declared at a Beijing press conference held by WildAid, the conservation group, that he had had it with shark fin soup, pledging never to eat it again.

And then Mr. Yao stated that ''endangered species are our friends.''

But the habit of eating Shark Fin Soup goes back a long, long way:

Emperors loved shark fin soup because it was rare, tasty and difficult to prepare. The soup is served at wedding banquets by families eager to show appreciation to their guests. And Hong Kong and Beijing government officials -- not to mention thousands of businessmen hoping to close the next big deal -- swear they absolutely have to treat their guests to shark fin soup as a show of respect and honor.

''This is the very basic dish for business dinners in Hong Kong,'' said Tan Rongde, 56, a banker. ''If you don't order that, you will lose face.''

Is this superstar's public outcry against catching these sharks going to have an impact?

''Chinese people, we just eat shark's fin,'' he said. ''It's part of our culture. Yao Ming, it's a good idea. It's good to protect the environment. But if my children want to go out and eat shark's fin because they think it tastes good, I'll still take them.''

Others said Mr. Yao, who plays for the Houston Rockets, was doing the right thing, but they'd still love to try one of the world's most expensive soups.

''If one day I could eat shark's fin, of course I'd eat it,'' said Chen Yanran, 18, a Shanghai music student, who may not know that the actual shark fin part of the soup has no taste at all, it's just like rubber. ''It's a delicacy, and expensive, something the average Chinese can't eat.''

Alas, it might take a while to change a billion consumer's habits, especially when you have the "Shark's Fin Association" working against you:

The Shark's Fin Association -- a group based in Hong Kong intent on blending flavorless shark fin with meat, greens and even herbal medicine -- said in effect that Mr. Yao should stick to basketball.

Chiu Ching-Cheung, the association chairman, said he and others would team up against the 310-pound center. ''We will unite with other shark's fin associations to communicate and deprecate it,'' he said of Mr. Yao's position.

Slowly, though, he might be getting through:

''I support Yao'' said Liu Wei Liang, a chef at Lei Garden in Hong Kong, where he has been cooking shark fin for 20 years. ''Killing sharks is not a good thing. But if the restaurant did not provide this type of food, the customers feel they will lose face in treating their guests.''

He went on to pledge, ''If the hotel agrees, I will stop.''

Yao Ming isn't quite the first celebrity to join the cause. Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Goofy also went shark-fin-soup free.

The new Hong Kong Disneyland dropped the soup from its wedding banquet menu last year after protests from environmental activists.

Go Donald, Mickey, and Goofy...and Yao Ming!!

Here in China, Yao Ming is all over the McDonald's. He has received millions of dollars to be McDonald's #1 promoter. Pictures. Posters. Promotions. He is worshipped by Chinese youth. How would you compare his contribution to the effort of saving sharks to the damage to the health of millions of children?

"'Yao Ming personifies what the McDonald's brand is all about -- a youthful, fun, dynamic spirit which connects to today's customers and cultures,' said Larry Light, McDonald's Executive Vice-President and Global Chief Marketing Officer."

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-02/13/content_305966.htm

Good point, Marcus.

On one hand, he's saving the sharks, while on the other he's helping poison the children via that snark, Ronald MacDonald...

Yuck!

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