A man who claimed to be a performance artist, Pian Shankong, kneels down in front of an animal enclosure at a zoo in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan province, June 15, 2011. [Photo/Kunming Daily]

"I sincerely apologize to you on behalf of human beings.” After these words, a man held his palms together and knelt down in front of an animal enclosure at a zoo in Kunming, the capital of Southwest China’s Yunnan province, on Wednesday, the Kunming Daily reported.

Repeating these actions, the man who claimed to be a performance artist, Pian Shankong, said he wanted to call for animal protection through these gestures, the paper said.

Pian also called for setting up an animal-protection festival and making apologies to animals by kneeling before them, the paper said.

Some witnesses criticized Pian for making a show. “I am making a show,” he said. “And I need to let everybody know someone is making apologies to animals in the name of all human beings,” Pian said.