Shanghai Pets

During the ultra-radical 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution, keeping pets was considered "bourgeois" and politically incorrect. With its rising prosperity, China is developing a pet-owning culture. Today, it is estimated that there are 11 billion pets in China for its 1.3 billion citizens: a 20% increase in the past five years alone. While most are fish, birds or exotics, the percentages of cats and dogs are increasing. In the marquee cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, a growing nouveau-riche class even sees pets, particularly dogs, as fashion items, outfitting them in designer clothing, paying for spa treatments and dyeing their fur unnatural colours. China now a day has developed a new pet-owning culture. Ying documents a series of images about pets and their relationship with their owners.

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©Ying Tang 2010