Is “Animal Welfare” a Foreign Notion to China?

Junfeng Wang, Qinghua Chu and Lu Liu

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 2025, vol. 84, issue 4, 605-611

Abstract: While Chinese culture has long emphasized “Tian ren he yi” (the oneness of nature and humanity), promoting animal welfare in China remains a challenge. This article suggests that the widespread view of “animal welfare” as an inherently foreign concept plays a significant role in this difficulty, as it implies that Western notions of animal welfare are irrelevant to Chinese society and thus may not warrant serious consideration. We argue that although the term “animal welfare” originated in the West, its underlying principle—compassion for animals—is closely aligned with traditional Chinese philosophy. Concern for animal welfare has deep roots in Chinese culture, as reflected in the teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, as well as in historical practices. Unfortunately, this cultural tradition has been overshadowed by a modernization drive that has adopted a dismissive attitude toward tradition and an imperialistic attitude toward nature, often equating modernization with Westernization. To truly advance animal welfare in China, it is essential to revive traditional Chinese values, particularly the notion of harmony between humans and nature, which could serve as a solid theoretical foundation for the animal welfare movement.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/ajes.12634

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:ajecsc:v:84:y:2025:i:4:p:605-611

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=0002-9246

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Economics and Sociology is currently edited by Laurence S. Moss

More articles in American Journal of Economics and Sociology from Wiley Blackwell
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().