China Vegan Fellowship: Meet Our 2024 Inaugural Vegan Action Fellows

After two years of exploration by the China Vegan Society, we have discovered that numerous exceptional vegan advocates in the country are actively involved in advancing veganism. However, we have also identified a notable lack of diversity and innovation in the current landscape of vegan promotion, with a need for more varied and impactful methods and projects to drive the cause forward. Therefore, through the China Vegan Fellowship, China Vegan Society aims to identify the most outstanding talents in the field of vegan advocacy. We aspire to support their growth with the best available resources, enabling them to bring greater diversity and innovation to the promotion of veganism in China.

 Our plan is to annually select up to five individuals with the most innovative mindset, enthusiasm, and dedication as Action Fellows of the year. These Vegan Action Fellows (VAFs) will each be awarded a research grant, intended for developing an innovative and impactful proposal to promote vegan lifestyle. Six months later, VAFs’ project proposals will undergo a review, and those approved will continue to receive financial, educational, promotional, and networking support.

 In November 2023, after a nationwide selection process comprising one online and two in-person rounds of competition and public voting, we successfully identified five outstanding individuals who have advanced to become the inaugural VAFs, starting in January 2024. Their projects will receive formal feedback in July 2024 and some of them will be invited to join the search for and selection of the next cohort.

Below we are pleased to present short bios of our 2024 inaugural China Vegan Action Fellows.

罗敏丽 Lorry Luo

Plant-Based Enterprise Industry Research

Hello, this is Lorry, a 2024 China Vegan Action Fellow. In the next six months, I shall be collecting and analyzing data about plant-based businesses in China – who they are, their business models, their financial sustainability, and how they use new technology to innovate. I will write a report about my findings in order to provide some useful insights for China’s plant-based industry to grow.

I will benefit most from specialists in entrepreneurship, business strategy and development, continuous growth, and data collecting and analysis. 

Project Overview:

Lorry got her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Guangdong Industrial University, with a focus on social research methods and social statistics. She worked in a sustainable development consultant firm from 2021 to 2023, gaining experience in industry research.

Over the span of six months, Lorry plans to conduct industry research of 30-50 plant-based enterprises. She plans to combine field visits with desk research to produce a final report. Lorry shall provide improvement recommendations to the surveyed companies, with whom she will jointly test and validate these recommendations and disseminate what has been learned to other plant-based enterprises. Lorry’s intended subjects of study include plant-based manufacturers, traders (e-commerce), social media enterprises and those in other sectors. Research methods include surveys and one-on-one interviews. Research content includes main products, target users, customer management, supplier management, employee management, government and public relations management, community communication, tech innovation, etc. This research is expected to benchmark excellent domestic and international business models and management methods, optimize management to promote sustained and smooth operation, explore demand alignment and resource integration between upstream and downstream within the supply chain, promote collaborations among enterprises, and expand the influence of plant-based businesses.

木木 Taylor

“Love Yourself” Good Energy Action Card

Hi, my name is Mu Mu, a 2024 China Vegan Action Fellow. I’m going to spend the next six months working on Waking Up With Me, an initiative aiming to empowering a million young people with my Vegan Energy Cards and sharing with millions through social media my stories and those of other young people who regain their body and mind energy by adopting vegan lifestyles.

I hope to find people who can advise me on non-profit management, AIGC (Artificial Intelligence Generated Content) and short video/livestreaming contents.

Project Overview:

Rooted in the Agan Eco-community in Chengdu's Tieniu Village for six years, Mu Mu loves her rural lifestyle. Overcoming a rare condition called narcolepsy that once made her to sleep 15 hours a day, Mu Mu discovered the secret of lasting happiness while living in the village. Upon returning to the city, she shared this treasure with young people, creating the
“Love Yourself” Good Energy Action Cards deck.

Mu Mu believes that changing their lifestyle will help young people break free from difficulties such as depression. She hopes that all college students of today can, with the companionship of the energy cards, sleep well, eat healthful vegan foods. Mu Mu believes that when young people are positively energized, they will come closer to their life’s goals. Taylor incorporates many vegan lifestyle tips in her cards. For example, a card suggests that “Today is a good day to go vegan.” Such cards will serve to nudge the user to develop new habits, and plant seeds for a lasting plant-based lifestyle.

南安 Nan An

Vegan Journey Vlogs Worldwide

Hello, everyone! I'm Nan An, a 2024 China Vegan Action Fellow. Over the next six months, I will be preparing for my project, "Seeking Vegan Journey: One Vegan Meal Every day." Through sharing findings from my "Seeking Vegan Journey," I aim to launch the "One Vegan Meal Everyday" initiative to nudge people to embrace veganism by eating one vegan meal each day and gradually increasing the proportion of plant-based foods.

I'm looking for mentors in the following areas for my project:

A. Public speaking

B. Public narrative

C. Public communication using media

D. Behavior change

Project Overview:

Nan An is a well-known influencer and vegan content creator, but her aspirations go beyond being just a vegan Vlogger. She has a grand plan to explore vegan lifestyle in every corner of the world. Having followed a vegan diet for 12 years, Nan An has embarked on the #VeganJourney. Her project aims to travel the world, discover, and share vegan delicacies and cultures of different regions. Through a lighthearted and joyful approach, Nan An conveys the richness and beauty of vegan lifestyle, inviting us to follow her footsteps and savor the diverse landscapes of a vegan world together.

Travel serves as a bridge for Nan An to promote veganism. Through her “three goals for travel” (visiting 100 vegan spaces, interviewing 100 vegan enthusiasts, and sharing vegan delicacies with 100 people), Nan An aims to share vegan foods, stories, and cultures that she encounters around the world. Particularly, she wants to share the development of veganism in China with international friends and bring what she shall learn overseas back to China. By reducing information gap, Nan An hopes to help more people understand the richness, diversity, foresight, and universality of veganism. This, in turn, can reduce misconceptions and stereotypes about veganism among the public, making it easier for more people to adopt a vegan/pro-vegan lifestyle.

Sky

Vegan Lifestyle Business Blueprint

The goal of Project Bud is to promote veganism among the mass market in China in a friendly manner to non-vegans. My initial thought is to start a vegan restaurant chain as the core of the plan, but I am still at the brainstorming stage and open to different ideas in the hope of finding the most effective and impactful way to spread the concept of veganism.

I am very interested in hearing from experts who have insights and/or practical experience in effectively reshaping group/consumer mindset and behavior that is beneficial to people/world but perhaps difficult to accept at the beginning. (Just throwing in a simple example, nudging people to reusable bags instead of disposable plastics at the supermarket.)

Project Overview:

Sky obtained an MBA degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2017. A former finance professional-turned advocate for vegannism, Sky is embarking on an ambitious project. A lover of sports and seeker of new life experiences, Sky has been following a vegan lifestyle for nine years. The objective of his project is to promote veganism in a way that is friendly to non-vegans. Aiming to establish a nationwide chain of vegan restaurants and expand it into diverse settings such as supermarkets and convenience stores, Sky wants to accelerate the overall transformation of China’s food industry towards a plant-based dietary structure across the supply chain. His enthusiasm and determination will drive the widespread adoption of veganism in China, fostering trust and love between people and between humans and animals.

Billy Zheng

WAMO Films

Hello, my name is Billy, one of the 2024 China Vegan Action Fellows.

In the next six months I will be preparing the WAMO Films project, a studio that aims at creating engaging and effective videos for the Chinese audience. My goal is to create the best educational videos/films on the topics related to veganism.

I am seeking advice from experts in the following subjects:

1. Public narrative

2. Animal ethics

3. Behavior insights

4. Public speaking

Project Overview:

Billy Zheng，a videographer, editor, and co-founder of WAMOLAB, a diverse team of individuals based in a vibrant vegan community in Dali, China. From short documentaries to high-quality social media content, Billy is dedicated to using filmmaking to convey the core principles of WAMO: Well-being, Animal-friendliness, Minimalism, and Openness. Join Billy and WAMO Films on their creative journey to discover the depth and impact encapsulated in their videos.

In the inaugural China Vegan Fellowship, this unique and vibrant group of Vegan Action Fellows is reshaping the vegan lifestyle in unprecedented ways. They shine brightly in their respective fields, showcasing diverse possibilities for vegan living and embodying the true essence of the Vegan Action Fellows selection.

What’s next?

Each Vegan Action Fellow from the 2024 fellowship will have a period of 6 months to refine and test their vegan action plans, with a research grant and other support from the China Vegan Society. During the research period, they will maintain regular learning and communication.

In mid-2024, they will further submit refined project proposals, and based on the excellence of their plans, 1-2 Vegan Action Fellows will receive sponsorship for international study tours. All Vegan Action Fellows will receive additional publicity and resources to facilitate the implementation of their projects, to be showcased at the next China Vegan Summit. Let's look forward to it together!

If you are interested in any Vegan Action Fellow's project and would like to learn more details or provide practical support, please feel free to contact us (sascha@chinavegans.org). China Vegan Society is more than willing to assist in facilitating meaningful collaborations.