The Zoo in Modern China

Abstract: Zoological gardens, as a significant public cultural institution in modern cities, serve as a primary point of contact for humans with wildlife. After undergoing five millennia of evolution and transformation, modern zoos since the 1820s have assumed multiple functions, including entertainment, education, research, and conservation.

For a considerable period, scholars have not given sufficient attention to the issue of modern Chinese zoos and related topics, resulting in relatively few and inadequately researched outcomes. This study aims to utilize documents stored in the archives of Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Nanjing, Chongqing, and other locations, as well as diaries, newspapers, and other historical records to describe the overall situation and specific practices of the development of modern Chinese zoos. Furthermore, this study will discuss the significance and impact of zoos on modern Chinese society and people’s lives. The objective is to attract scholars’ attention to related issues.

The development of Chinese zoos was not a result of historical evolution but rather a complete import of a modern "foreign product". In the mid-to-late 19th century, Chinese individuals who voyaged to the West were the first to encounter zoos in Western society, followed by the gradual localization of zoos and related knowledge. In the early 20th century, the Qing government implemented the "New Policy" (新政) to imitate the West and save the country. Dai Hongzhi and Duan Fang introduced zoos together with libraries, museums, and parks as daominshanfa (methods to guide the people, 导民善法) into China. The founding of the Wansheng Garden (Beijing Zoo) in 1907 officially marked the beginning of the development of China’s zoo. After experiencing the period of the Qing Dynasty and early republican China where multiple development paths coexisted, the zoo industry gradually became popularized and specialized in the 1930s. However, it was ultimately destroyed by the comprehensive outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937.

This study focuses on two specific cases, Shanghai Municipal Zoological Garden and Liu’s Zoo (Hankou Zhongshan Park Zoo and Chongqing Central Park Zoo), as representatives of modern Chinese public and private zoos. The management situations of these zoos reflect the explorations and practices of the Chinese people regarding zoos. Furthermore, the study delves into various topics, including the top-level design of zoos, the positioning of zoos, public understanding and acceptance of zoos, zoo animals, and war damage to the zoo.

This study aims to explore the social history of zoos in China, focusing on the development process of modern Chinese zoos and their acceptance by Chinese society. It is not solely a history of zoo gardens or zoo management, but rather an investigation of the acceptance of Western civilization by modern China. Despite issues such as ambiguous positioning, insufficient official attention, lack of professional talents, and uneven overall levels, China’s zoo industry gradually expanded its scale and presence during the first half of the 20th century. Zoos became an important part of urban construction integrated into people’s daily lives. Research on zoos provides a new perspective for observing interactions between China and the West, between nations and their citizens, and is a breakthrough point for probing human-nature relationships.