Veganism isn’t just a Western thing. When I was at culinary school in Guangzhou, I discovered a vibrant vegan community in China, and a wealth of resources in Mandarin. I’ve been able to access numerous articles and groups on Wechat dedicated to advocating a plant-based lifestyle, and I thought I’d link them below so you can share with your Chinese-speaking family members and friends!
If you have any you’d like to add (or if any of the links are broken), please shoot me an email!
Terminology:
This is a non-exhaustive list of terms that describe the categories you’ll come across in Mandarin-speaking parts of the world like China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. This glossary should be useful if you’re traveling, but the variations also reveal the complexity and also flexibility in Chinese vegetarianism that’s created the need for specific definitions.
Pure/complete vegetarian (vegan)
纯素，全素 | chúnsù, quánsù
Pure vegetarian is the strictest and most traditional form of Chinese vegetarianism, eaten in monasteries and by devout lay Buddhists. A dish labeled chun su will not contain meat, alliums, dairy, or eggs.
Ovo-lacto vegetarian
蛋奶素 | dànnǎi sù
Traditionally, Buddhist vegetarian dishes may include eggs or dairy. Buddhists do not eat meat to avoid killing life, but since eggs and milk produced in industrial farming are lifeless, they have less obstacle to eating them. However, with increasing awareness of the cruelty of the modern egg and dairy industry, many Buddhists who are ovo-lacto vegetarians are switching to complete vegetarian (above).
“Five allium” vegetarian
五辛素，植物素 | wǔxīn sù, zhíwù sù
Equivalent to the Western definition of vegetarian, this is also called “health-based vegetarian” (jian kang su) or “plant-based vegetarian” (zhi wu su),to distinguish it from religion-motivated vegetarianism. Dishes may contain dairy, eggs, and alliums.
“Plant-based”
蔬食 | shūshí
This is a general word that means “plant-based,” and just like in English, it’s flexible in meaning and neutral in connotation.
“Wei gen” / vegan
维根 | wéigēn
This is a relatively new term, and translates to vegan in an ethical sense: applying not just to diet but encompassing all lifestyle choices, like avoiding fur, leather, animal-tested products, etc. This term is used mostly in Taiwan and isn’t very widespread in China yet.
“Side-of-the-pot vegetarian,” “flexible vegetarian”
锅边素, 方便素 | guō biān sù, fāng biàn sù
Many Chinese vegetarians who live in a household with a non-vegetarian partner or family members eat “side of the pot vegetarian.” This means they can still eat dishes cooked in meat, but they avoid the visible pieces of meat and eat only the vegetables. “Flexible” or “convenient” vegetarian means eating vegetarian whenever it’s practical. When offered something with meat in it, the flexible vegetarian will often eat it to not offend the giver. Some Buddhists choose to cook vegetarian meals at home and during religious observation, but are flexible in other settings.
Health:
吃素到底有没有营养，看这篇全懂了！ On nutrition– is it possible to get all your nutrients from a plant-based diet?
牛奶鸡蛋有营养吗？Dairy and eggs– are they actually good for you?
揭秘 ｜为什么我们吃小猪，却和小狗做朋友？ Debunking myths; reasons for a plant-based diet.
武汉肺炎：中国人坏就坏在一张嘴上 The Wuhan coronavirus: it all started from food.
一千多名吃素的医生呼吁：开始素食，让人更健康！Consensus of over a thousand doctors: eat plant-based for health
The earth:
畜牧业养殖与环境破坏 Environmental reasons for a plant-based diet.
2.1万名科学家认为，为了地球的美好，请吃素！ 21,000 scientists believe that for the good of the earth, we should eat vegan.
最真实的地球环境 More environmental reasons for a plant-based diet.
国务院参事室：建议恢复我国传统饮食（素食）习惯！提出不吃肉的几点建议 Chinese Health Counsellor: reasons to promote a plant-based diet in China
General Animal Agriculture:
人道屠宰场并不人道 Humane slaughterhouses are not humane.
工业化养殖 The truth about the animal agriculture industry.
On seafood:
海洋尸体与垃圾 Pollutants, trash and the fishing industry.
海洋塑料污染 9 million tons of marine plastic, making its way into our stomachs.
人类与海洋破坏 Will we be the generation that destroys the ocean?
中国90%近海已无鱼可捕，可我们看不到海洋的眼泪 On Chinese fish farming.
不吃深海鱼的10个理由 10 reasons not to eat seafood.
白肉（鱼类）的真相 10 reasons I don’t seafood.
饮食造成的物种灭绝 On rare seafood species and extinction.
On eggs:
鸡蛋的真实生产过程 Chinese people eat 400 billion eggs every day; the truth behind how those eggs are produced.
蛋鸡在养殖场里的一生：每一只鸡蛋背后有怎样令人不安的事实？The life of the laying hens on the farm: the disturbing facts behind each egg.
Books and films:
Great resource: Compilation of Chinese books, translated books, and subtitled documentaries.
【纪录片】游戏改变者 The Game Changers (2018).中文字幕 The Game Changers documentary with Chinese subtitles, on Bilibili.