I just moved to Beijing two months ago and moved into a house in the hutongs. Out of all the good and bad things I could say about hutong life, the one thing that has surprised me more than anything is the fact that every single one of my neighbors has a dog. Not only do they own a pet, they treat their animals as if they were their own children; constantly taking them on walks, feeding them and basically just giving them the spoiled, good life. While this is normal in the West, it took me off guard since China has a horrible reputation of mistreating animals.

After noticing the preferential treatment of hutong dogs, I started noticing that around Beijing and other cities I traveled to, being a pet in China isn’t that bad after all. The mentality of Chinese pet owners is certainly changing quickly; from the chuppie (aka Chinese yuppie) poodle owners who carry their pets in purses to zoos to wild animal protection, it seems that there is a rising sentiment towards animal welfare in China.

1) Yulin Dog Meat Festival protests
According to a report by the Huffington Post, “About 10,000 dogs – reportedly often transported and kept in inhumane conditions – are killed during the [Yulin Dog Meat] festival every year; many are burned, electrocuted and skinned alive.” Mentioning a festival dedicated to killing and eating dog possibly already derailed this essay’s thesis, but sticking to the line of “rising” sentiment towards animals in China, the protestors at Yulin are proof of the changing mood concerning animal treatment.  

In the past, no one in blinked an eye at such an event, but this year’s witnessed numerous protestors take a stand in person while tens of thousands of netizens made noise through social networking portals. The government even sent a team for the first time to inspect the conditions the animals are held in. Though the festival, following centuries of ancient tradition, continued, it can be seen as a small step towards ending what activists call a cruel and inhumane slaughter. It’s also worth noting that a smaller dog meat festival in Zhejiang Province in 2011 was completely canceled due to activist opposition, so it is possible when numbers unite.

2) Wild animal protection
The Chinese have a poor reputation when it comes to poaching wild animals, especially when hotcommodities like tiger paws and elephant tusks are considered luxuries. But like the dog festival protests, action is being taken by the central government. We all know that much effort was undertaken to save and repopulate the giant panda species by creating centers in Sichuan Province worthy enough to be placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, but in 2010 Beijing announced a plan that, according to The Guardian, “will put China at the forefront of global efforts to reverse habitat and species decline.”

The report specifies that “China's biodiversity action plan designates [52] priority conservation areas, covering 23% of the country; it promises state funds for protection; and sets a target of controlling biodiversity loss by 2020.” In total, the government proposed to invest a whopping 30 billion RMB (nearly 5 billion USD) per year dedicated to this conservation effort. Only time will tell how the plan unravels, but with such ambitious moves it appears that China is turning over a new leaf.

3) Chinese zoos
I was chatting with some tourists the other day and asked what sites they wanted to see in Beijing. They listed the big names, but expressed they’d stay clear of the zoo because of the ill treatment of animals. I for one remember a trip to the Wuxi zoo where I spotted a lone elephant tied to a post by a 3 meter chain, while eleven tigers starved to death at the safari park in Shengyang city two years ago. Nevertheless, the situation seems to be improving.

Humane Society International (HSI), an international animal rights group, posted on their website that they began a collective effort with the China Association of Zoological Gardens (CAZG) in 2011. Since the dialogue began, HSI has sent numerous delegations of foreign experts to coordinate with more than 87 Chinese zoo directors to improve the treatment, facilities and overall well-being of animals living in Mainland zoos. However, like the other clauses mentioned above, there is still much room for improvement, but the ice has been broken.

Are things really getting better?

As one can see, the alteration in the Chinese mentality coupled with international pressure and progressive governmental policy has implanted vast change across the Middle Kingdom, but this presents a catch 22 since the key phrase is “across the Middle Kingdom” and not “across the world.” A Guardian article reported that poaching in Africa has actually increased over the years mainly in part to a greater demand from Chinese consumers, while the PRC still hasn’t made “humane slaughtering” for farm raised animals a mandatory law. Critics also scream that animal protection laws from the zoos to the wild are not being performed diligently or efficiently, and point out that if the government was serious about changing their image, they would cancel events like dog eating festivals along with the consumption of dog meat altogether.

Chinese Buddhists and Taoists are often taught compassion for all living things. But with radical political reforms in the mid-20th century, and the ensuing fear of starving to death becoming a reality for tens of millions of Chinese, eating anything for the pure sake of survival destroyed much of this passive approach towards animals. Many, especially the older generation, still have this lingering fear engraved in their thoughts, but the youth on the other hand who never experienced such a tragedy don’t. Therefore, the younger generation is a pioneer in the animal revolution. Perhaps with the more open minded youth at the helm, the treatment of animals will continue to improve in China to create a more “harmonious” place for humans and animals alike. If not, China in the eyes of the international community will continue to be a fish out of water.

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Keywords: Animal Welfare in China