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| Pigs are so central to Chinese culture the written character for family is a pig under a roof |
When Alibaba, China's online giant, changed its flight booking company's name from Alitrip to Feizhu last week, it sparked a debate about whether the new name, which means flying pig, hurt Muslim sentiments.
Uighur businessman Adil Memettur, who has hundreds of thousands of followers on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter, thought it might.
"The whole Muslim world is sensitive to this phrase," he posted. "Alibaba is an international enterprise... has the company considered whether this is taboo?"
Some agreed with Mr Memettur, but many disputed his additional suggestion the company change its name back, saying there needed to be "mutual tolerance".
Some also pointed out the significance of pigs in Chinese culture - from the character of Pigsy in the classic novel Journey To The West, to the year of the pig in the zodiac.
"I'm happy to be a pig, will you make me cancel my Chinese zodiac sign?" asked one user.
Source:BBC News
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