Apostles of veganism in China find a ready and growing audience for plant-based message
Vegan converts in Beijing and Shanghai are spreading the message through social media groups, film screenings, restaurant events and holding vegan challenges
When Raymond Xie went vegan six years ago, he often felt hungry and ate lots of rice and noodles to fill his stomach. Instead of improving his health, his diet switch did not have any effect on his well-being.
“I didn’t have much knowledge about veganism then. As I stopped eating meat, I ate lots of oil as a replacement.”
A big foodie, he later started searching for tasty vegan recipes and researching the science of healthy eating. After tweaking his diet to include a greater range of legumes and vegetables, he lost 10kg in a year. He also recommended his vegan diet to his mother-in-law who suffers from diabetes.
“Chronic diseases can be caused by over-consumption of fat and cholesterol which come from milk and eggs. My mother-in-law needed insulin injections for eight years. Three months into her new vegan food regimen, her blood sugar levels dropped. She doesn’t even need the injections now,” Xie says.
Impressed by the vegan diet’s positive effects on health and eager to share it, he opened Zerogo Global Vegan Delicious last year in Wangjing in Beijing. The mostly fusion restaurant offers only vegan fare including salads, burgers, pizza, pasta, risotto and Asian rice noodles.