Diets without animal products, such as vegetarianism and veganism, have become increasingly popular across the globe. This growth is in part due to people seeking healthier, more sustainable, and more animal-friendly alternatives to eating meat. Most studies on vegetarianism have focused on the Western context, particularly the U.S. and Europe. In this context, meat is readily available, convenient, and widely consumed. Vegetarianism deviates from the social norm, and is largely motivated by concern about issues like climate change and animal welfare. However, findings from Western countries may not apply to other cultural contexts.

Historically, many parts of Asia have relied on primarily plant-based diets. For much of China’s history, for instance, vegetarianism was common among ordinary people because meat was expensive and hard to get. Once China underwent reform and joined international trade after 1978, meat became cheaper, more available, and more popular. Still, cultural beliefs from Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Traditional Chinese Medicine encourage vegetarianism as cleaner and healthier than meat for the mind, body, and spirit.

This study explores discussions of vegetarianism on the popular Chinese social media platform Weibo. The authors used computer-assisted text analysis to detect topics of discussion among all publicly available posts mentioning vegetarianism from 2019 to 2020. In total, 199,648 discussions involving 124,015 unique users were analyzed.

Similar to Western countries, women in China appear to be more interested in discussing vegetarianism than men. However, unlike in Western countries, interest in discussing vegetarianism in China is disproportionately higher among older generations compared to younger ones. This lines up with a previous study that found the average age of vegetarians in Shanghai is 65.

The authors noted a rise in posts discussing vegetarianism on the first and fifteenth days of each month on the lunar calendar, corresponding with Buddhist practices. It’s likely that these practices encourage more people to engage with vegetarianism, reflecting Buddhism’s influence on Chinese dietary habits.

The most common topic (19% of posts) represented everyday vegetarian experiences. Common words in these discussions included “at home,” “back home,” “mum,” “friend,” and “child.” Vegetarian hot pot was also mentioned. This shows that eating vegetarian food with family and friends is culturally accepted as normal.

The second most common topic (15% of posts) was wishes and prayers, based on common words like “wish,” “hope,” “prayers,” and “good luck.” This topic reflects culturally relevant phrases linking vegetarianism to spirituality and achieving personal goals. These phrases have become further popularized among younger generations by well-known Chinese television series such as Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan, whose protagonist adopts vegetarianism to seek blessings.

The third most common topic (14% of posts) encompassed ethical vegetarianism, illustrated by common words like “animal,” “life,” “earth,” and “nature”, traditional Chinese concepts about benevolence and avoiding killing, and spiritual-themed words such as “energy” and “mindfulness.” This reveals connections between vegetarianism and beliefs about harmony with nature, as well as spiritual well-being.

Additional topics included discussions of restaurants, meals and snacks, holistic health, modern nutrition, recipes, and Buddhism. The authors noted that traditional Chinese vegetarian staples such as tofu and mushrooms were more common in the “recipes” topic, whereas “meals and snacks” made more references to modern, processed vegetarian substitutes. Furthermore, the topic of holistic health brought in references to Traditional Chinese Medicine, with a focus on balancing yin and yang energies as well as detoxification and healing through food.

The analysis also found generational differences in topic popularity, suggesting different motivations and practices associated with age. Users born in the 1970s or earlier were more interested in discussing Buddhist vegetarianism, ethical vegetarianism, holistic health, and recipes. Those born in the 1990s and 2000s tended to discuss everyday vegetarian experiences, wishes and prayers, and meals and snacks.

The study concluded that eating vegetarian food in China is seen as ordinary and practical rather than political or ideological, compared to vegetarianism in Western contexts. The authors noted that most popular social media posts about vegetarianism were written by ordinary people discussing their personal experiences rather than celebrity endorsements or non-profit organizations promoting vegetarianism.

Readers should keep in mind that Weibo users are younger, more urban, and more educated than the average Chinese resident. Additionally, online discussions may not fully reflect offline conversations. Still, the main message remains: Western vegan and vegetarian activism may not directly translate to China’s unique cultural and historical context. For example, the authors cautioned that pushing vegetarian messaging from celebrities or non-profits might not be as well received in the Chinese context. They also warned that China’s reform era, which included opening up to international trade, has led to newer cultural narratives that link meat consumption with modernization and prosperity. These narratives can’t be ignored.

Animal advocates can learn several important lessons from this study — not only about vegetarianism in China, but also cross-cultural advocacy as a whole.

• Grassroots campaigns that deepen the practical, everyday connections to vegetarianism may work well in the Chinese context.
• Incorporating culturally relevant messaging around spirituality and holistic health may work best for older generations.
• Younger generations may be more open to modern plant-based meat substitutes and more responsive to messaging inspired by popular television shows.

Overall, this study serves as an important reminder that activists should approach other cultures with sensitivity. Cross-cultural animal advocates can improve the effectiveness of their efforts by learning from and collaborating with local communities rather than defaulting to less specific, culturally inappropriate approaches.