You can listen to the audio from this talk here: https://archive.org/details/AnimalsChina Abstract: There is a growing animal advocacy movement in China, which has occurred alongside a rising middle class and increasing Westernisation. Recently, Chinese animal activists forced a truck filled with dogs on their way to slaughter off the road and rescued the dogs. In the Western world, this has been cited as an example of growing concern for non-human animals in China. While this is a legitimate way in which to view this event, there are other frames which tell a different story. It can also be viewed through the lens of class and Westernisation. Those carrying out this rescue did so in a Mercedes-Benz, on the way to a hotel resort. The rescue of the dogs can be linked to the growing middle-class in China, who have increasingly being influenced by Western lifestyles including living with companion animals, and values about which animals are deemed food and which ones are not. Owning dogs as companion animals compared to eating them as food increasingly marks divides in China, along divides such as poor versus rich and urban versus rural. This presentation will explore these conflicts, as well as suggesting some implications for animal advocacy in the West. This talk was recorded at The Australian Sociological Association 2016 conference. You can hear more talks from this conference here: https://soundcloud.com/australian-sociology-tasa