“Vegetarian Culture Week”
Leads China
into the Vegetarian Movement

With God’s compassion and mercy, vegetarianism is gaining popularity among young people in high schools and colleges in Beijing, China. This trend is fast and steady, spreading in a natural and easy way. The aim of this ideal is to protect the environment, increase physical health, mind clarity and care for lives.

In mid-May, Golden Year 3 (2006), “Vegetarian Week”, sponsored by the Vegetarian Association at Beijing University, added a touch of brightness to spring in Beijing, which is usually bombarded by a series of sand storms. In the evening of May 15, several hundred people from over ten different school organizations, vegetarian organizations in the city, experts in vegetarian culture and journalists from major media, gathered at the Ying Jie (meaning talents) Culture Exchange Center to participate the first vegetarian press conference in history. Seven well-known professors and experts answered questions students raised regarding vegetarianism. Their healthy appearance as well as looking a lot younger than their actual age won applause from the students. A student named Tian Fei, the Chairman of the evening, explained the themes of “Vegetarian Week” which were “Cleanliness, Beauty, Non violence and Peacefulness”. He invited people to transform their pursuit of a healthy life and caring for life to a noble way of life and eating habit, to restore the original meaning behind vegetarianism-compassion. Other members at Beijing University expressed their support and agreement of this ideal. Later, representatives from ten vegetarian enterprises as well as seven or eight vegetarians from different professions such as the arts, theatre, literature and nutrition, started an active conversation with the audience regarding why people should be vegetarian. They elaborated on the benefits from different angles such as the prevention of modern diseases, improving nutrition, physical and mental health, the protection of the environment and building a peaceful society.

A dance teacher named Yueyin Liang who has been a vegetarian for 30 years said she knew that all the sicknesses that have happened to her were brought on by meat related foods. She believed that her healthy appearance, that was 20 years younger than her real age, was convincing evidence that vegetarian food was more beneficial to humans than the meat diet. Ms. Shuxia Sun, the chairperson of the Chinese Healthy Food, Nutrition and Safety Association, emphasized that the facts have already proved that many common diseases such as diabetes, liver diseases and bone diseases are closely related to the meat diet. She advised that preventing diseases in advance was better than treating them afterwards; adopting a vegetarian diet is the key to eliminate all modern diseases for humankind. Mr. Jinsong Wang from the movie industry, a vegetarian for more than 10 years, humorously explained how a vegetarian diet could elevate the people spiritually. Taking himself as an example, he told everyone that the vegetarian diet brought him numerous benefits in all areas such as inner happiness and self-respect that he never experienced before, broadened heart, uplifted spirit, clear mind and love for other people and beings.

The vegetarian line is the longest in the cafeteria

Many teachers as well as representatives from vegetarian restaurants in Beijing pointed out that vegetarianism has had a long history in China and was the choice of all the wise people from all religions and philosophies from Confucius to Lao Zi, Zhuang Zi and Buddhism. It represented the most charitable part of the Chinese cultural attitude towards nature and life which was tolerance, love for people and animals, being one with all beings. To build a peaceful society required self- discipline of the people and to cultivate compassion towards others, one must know how to respect life.

The following activities in Vegetarian Week were even more colorful. Many people watched the documentary movie “Why Shouldn’t We Eat Them?” which won the highest environmental protection award in the year 2003. The participants witnessed the suffering of the animals and then carried a live discussion with the producer of the movie. Considering the erratic eating habits and stressful mental workload of students, the sponsors of the Week also invited Dr. Na Liu from the Hygiene Department in the government to give a lecture on vegetarian nutrition to students. Ms. Yin Zhao, one of the top ten acclaimed coaches in China, also revealed vegetarian related secrets to health and beauty with the topic “Beauty from Inside Out”. After each lecture, many students stayed behind and continued heated discussions with the lecturers while enjoying the various types of soy drinks and desserts provided free of charge by the sponsors and supporters of the Week.

20,000 Alternative Living flyers had been delivered to the Vegetarian Association at Beijing University before the commencing of Vegetarian Week. And the Vegetarian Association in turn passed the flyers to other students in various schools that were planning to hold vegetarian activities. Big posters listing “Vegetarian Nobel Laureates and Scientists” and Vegetarian and Vegan Elite of the World” were displayed at the entrances of the student dormitories and cafeterias. The media in Beijing called “Vegetarian Week” at Beijing University the leader of the new movement in the universities and high schools in the city. It is very true. Currently the Chinese Policy and Law University and the Beijing Second Foreign Language School are also preparing to establish their own vegetarian societies. Other schools such as the Chinese Literature Association in Beijing’s Teachers University, Chinese Forest and Agriculture University are also in the process of launching vegetarian promotion activities.

“Vegetarian Week” at Beijing University represented the noble ideal of compassion towards all beings. Thank You God for elevating the consciousness of the students in Mainland China, thus allowing this miracle to happen!

To view or download the documentary movie “Why Shouldn’t We Eat Them?” (9 films): http://www.buddedu.com/xiazai/wsmbnctm.htm (Chinese)
http://www.fjdh.com/media/1549.html (Chinese)

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