Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2013
Abstract
Incidents of animal abuse in China attract worldwide media attention. Is China culturally inclined to animal cruelty, or is the country’s development strategy a better explanation? This article addresses the subject of animal protection in China, a topic that has been ignored for too long by Western China specialists. A review of ancient Chinese thought asks whether China lacks a legacy of compassion for animals. The article then considers how China’s reform politics underlie the animal welfare crisis. Through its discussion of the welfare crisis impacting nonhuman animals in China, this paper sheds light on the enormity of the country’s animal protection challenge. It concludes with an optimistic prediction for the future, despite the obstacles that remain in the way of animal protection policy change.
Recommended Citation
Li, P. J., & Davey, G. (2013). Culture, Reform Politics, and Future Directions: A Review of China’s Animal Protection Challenge. Society & Animals, 21(1), 34-53.
Included in
Animal Studies Commons, Other International and Area Studies Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons
Comments
In compliance with the publisher’s copyright and archiving policies, this is a post-print version of the document. Post-print materials contain the same content as their final edited versions, but are not formatted according to the layout of the published book or journal.