Veganism in Hong Kong
The present situation
Veganism or vegetarianism in one form or another has existed in China for
a long time due to the influences of buddhism. In fact, some time after the
introduction of Buddhism to Japan, the Japanese themselves were forbidden by
law to eat most animals until the last century. In Hong Kong, there are now
many Chinese vegetarian restaurants everywhere which are now even more popular
as people become more health conscious, especially after recent cases of bird
flu. Other types of vegetarian restaurants also exist, for example Indian
restaurants. Organic fruit and vegetables have also recently gained popularity.
However, the percentage of people committed to a vegetarian lifestyle in
Hong Kong is very small indeed, in comparison with the Western world like the
UK and the USA. Of the people who do lead a vegetarian lifestyle, health
reasons appear to be more important and little thought would be given to
the ethical reasons which play such an important part in attracting
would-be vegetarians in the West.
Animal welfare
One only has to walk around some street markets of Hong Kong to see the awful
conditions in which food animals are kept just before slaughter. The dirty
and cramped conditions in which chickens are kept was, without doubt, a
major contribution towards the outbreak of the bird flu virus. This, in turn,
led to the mass extermination of chickens. As a result of the panic, even
some pets were abandoned. Maybe some lessons have been learnt, but old
habits die hard and it is still very common to see shark's fin and other exotic
bits and pieces on sale. Who knows what method by which these animals and other endangered species were caught. It is not uncommon for sharks to be
thrown back into the sea after the fins have been cut off.
There are countless other issues like illegal animal trading but these are
certainly not confined to Hong Kong.
There exist, however, many organizations devoted to the welfare of animals
and to the education of the general public on such issues.
You can find links to these Hong Kong websites below. Demonstrations
have brought about some attention, for example, the anti-fur demo organised by
PETA in November 1998.
Some Hong Kong websites
EarthCare
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Society for Abandoned Animals Ltd
