Advocacy in China

Lauren Breuer
De Av'Chi

To be honest with you, I had a very skeptical position with combining the terms “China” and “Advocacy…” that was, until I went to the AVA Summit this past weekend.

You may not like what I have to say, but I am being truthful. I have only seen bad things done to animals in China through videos, investigations and the news. I automatically associate China with the Yulin Dog Meat Festival that happens every year.  

(This is China’s new word for “vegan” because they didn’t have one prior!)

ETHICALLY EXPOSED

When I saw the speaking session on Advocacy in China at this AVA Summit (Animal & Vegan Advocacy Summit), I had to learn more. Because truthfully, I know not all people are bad, but if you are only exposed to one side of them, you tend to not think otherwise. 

To keep it simple, I learned a lot about the advocacy in China, and how there are two major groups working to make Veganism more mainstream, and just generally educate the public. I was made aware that: 

  1. The Chinese Government does support the plant-based movement.
  2. There has been over 10,000 people for a vegan event at once.
  3. People do care. 

This is just a little bit of what I was made aware of.

But I am writing this to not only inform you, but to increase your awareness of biases. We all can pass judgements, and often times its really hard to listen to the other side unless you are presented with facts, or true, direct resources, for instance, The China Vegan Society. It is also important to remember that even if you have a bias towards someone or someplace, remember the reason you are acting, and remember those you are acting for. In this case, it is the animals. Why would I want to hinder the action to have more help throughout the world? Simple answer: I wouldn’t. So, I educated myself and looked further than my original clouded view.

People all over the world are constantly working to show the horrible truth of industries involving animals, such as agriculture, fashion, medicine, 

education, etc., so rather than working against each other, leverage the involvement and make connections, relationships, and a difference.

Thank you to the China Vegan Society for all of your work and dedication to animals through action and education. It is very appreciated.

And, thank you to WE ANIMALS Media for your incredible real-life shots. It is sad that things like this exist, and that we can document them, but thank you for making a difference, and allowing people to spread the word and change the world.