Living|Open up to the Alternative: Living the Vegan Life in Beijing of|Life|meat|also|Vegan|as|and|meat|

As China is the country with the largest population in the world, it is also one of the biggest consumers of meat, accounting for 28% of global meat consumption in 2019 and buying half of the world’s pork.(1) China’s growing affluence is attributed to the country’s rising demand for meat, as most people associate eating meat with the ability to afford a healthier dietary plan.
Despite the dominance of meat consumption, another lifestyle is also gaining popularity in China—the plant-based diet. Increasing numbers of people are becoming vegetarians and vegans out of personal preference, animal-ethical reasons, and environmental consciousness. The practice of vegetarianism is where one refrains from eating meat. Veganism goes one step further, where vegans refrain from eating all animal-produced products, including meat and dairy products. While vegetarians can still consume eggs, milk, and cheese, vegans must give them all up.
The liberty to adopt either a meat-based or a meat-free diet makes it possible for those choosing a plant-based diet to find their own community in China. Such are the experiences of Jennifer Morgenthaler and Max Song, two vegans living in Beijing. In our conversation, Jennifer and Max shared the stories of how they became vegans, why they adapted to this lifestyle, and how they sought to promote veganism in Beijing.
Jennifer and Max both started out as vegetarians, but eventually made the shift to veganism to further protect the environment. Coming from different backgrounds, the two embarked on different journeys that brought them to veganism and to Beijing.

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Photo of Jennifer Morgenthaler (Photo provided to gmw.cn)
Jennifer is an American who has lived in China for five years. Her decision to go vegetarian came at the age of twelve, when she witnessed the public slaughter of a pig. The open display made her realize she could no longer consume meat. It took a few years for Jennifer to convince her parents to cook her vegetarian meals, and she finally became vegetarian at the age of fifteen.
Initially, Jennifer became vegetarian for animal-ethical reasons. After learning from her sister that “eating dairy products are terrible for the animals”, she then decided to adapt to a stricter diet and became vegan. Being vegan has brought more positive impacts than Jennifer expected -- better for the environment, for example.
Jennifer’s relocation to Beijing was also coincidental. Arriving in China in 2016, Xuzhou was Jennifer’s first stop. Her initial plan was to stay in China for two years to master the Chinese language, which would then help her become a flight attendant. However, after starting out as an English teacher in Xuzhou, Jennifer fell in love with teaching and decided to continue in this profession. Since then, she has taught in Xuzhou, Wuxi, and finally in Beijing. At present, she is staying in Beijing both because she likes it here and because of her newly married husband. “China’s very exciting, there’s never a day where I could just be bored,” Jennifer commented on her experience of living here. “It’s an interesting place to live.” It is in this city where she both became vegan and fell in love.
Like Jennifer, Max also had experiences living in the United States, pursuing his postsecondary and graduate education. As a student of environmental studies, Max has always been conscious about the negative impacts the meat and dairy industries have on the environment. After a trial experience of becoming vegetarian during grad school, Max finally embraced the lifestyle in 2015, when he worked in a rural village near Hangzhou. Around two years ago, Max decided to take a step further and became vegan, to make more contributions to the causes of environmental and animal protection.

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