Envy Adams: "Short answer, being vegan just makes you better than most people."

@kongtianhui, I think you are correct. I am not a Vegan, and I definitely drink alcohol, but I sympathize with you. China has so many social traditions and obligations that involve meat and drinking, that I imagine it must be very difficult for you!

Hey there. I'm not longer pure veg but mostly veg .. but did 14 years, perhaps 7 of which were in China. I started vegetarian-china.info/ to help people in this position.

Basically, learn a few dishes and how to explain you're veggie and you're good.

lots of budhist places to eat at. just a bit hard to find. biggest issue is that even veggied ishes in most places here is cooked in chicken or pork stock or has chicken poweder added.

dazzer, are you dyslexic? that's the strangest spelling i've ever seen.

lysdexia lures, ok

Just tell everyone ahead of time. Worst case scenario, eat before you go out. Vegetarian and even vegan is now a small fad in China so you shouldn't have too many problems. If your significant other or friends are giving you problems then it might be time to find new friends.

I have been vegetarian for 21 years until last year.

14 years in China and I never had any problem, especially not with any gf's. The ones eating meat only said 'Great! more for me!".
The same goes for the non drinking, non smoking part.

I only got admiration for my vegetarian non smoking and non drinking [long past] habit. It never went beyond a "Wow, I couldn't do it." from my drink or dinner acquaintances.

The only requirement is, you can't be a complete jackass. If you communicate it well, nobody would pressure you. And you can ganbei with Fanta or Red Bull, which I did once, got so over-caffeinated, I can't recommend it.

Plus as a veteran-vegetarian, if you as a human want to survive, you have to eat something, that is or was alive, plant, animal or human for the nut cases.
What difference does it make?
A plant has the same right to live as a cow or a human being. So I made peace with the idea to consume living things.

the worst are the vegans and vegetarians that got a wrong order [meat] dish in a restaurant and just send it back. I wonder how that works in the bigger picture?
What a waste of life!! I eat it, disregarding what it is, or whose mistake is was. It's not the animals fault.

And who says vegan lifestyle is healthy, I recommend you ask your doc, he would tell you something different.

And I go with previous posters about monastery restaurants, and vegetarian buffets, they are cheap, plenty and they are always packed.

Being vegan or vegetarian is no problem in china. If you are mega picky, than it will be a problem.

In restaurants where you suspect they will use chicken broth just ask them to boil your food in water, you will get a raised eyebrow up to the hairline and it tastes like crap but, what the heck! it works.

Problems with ordering vegetarian in China often have to do with improper or incomplete or unclear communication in Chinese language.

no problem to be vegetarian in China, don't worry!