One Week on the Road: How Did the Vegan City Tour Actually Go?
In January 2026, just ahead of the launch of V-March, China Vegan Society hosted a one-week Vegan City Tour across four cities in China: Hong Kong, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Beijing.
The tour brought together international experience and local voices, with a shared focus on one question: how plant-based lifestyles are being understood, practiced, and shaped in different parts of China today.
Joining the tour was Emma Robinson, Internationalisation Manager at Veganuary, whose visit created an opportunity for in-depth exchange between the globally established Veganuary campaign and China’s locally rooted V-March challenge.
Over the course of one week, conversations unfolded across industry events, small group discussions, co-creation sessions, and community gatherings, each city offering a distinct perspective.
It Started in Hong Kong, Surrounded by the Industry
The tour began in Hong Kong at Vegetarian Food Asia, one of the largest plant-based trade shows in Asia. Surrounded by new product launches and industry discussions, this stop focused on the intersection of plant-based advocacy and business.
Together with Emma Robinson, we unpacked how time-bound challenges like Veganuary and V-March function beyond awareness-raising. The discussion highlighted how such challenges can support a full engagement cycle: from first-time product trial and education to longer-term behavior change and community building.
Industry participants reflected on the role these challenges play in helping brands reach new audiences while supporting broader food system transitions. Hong Kong set the tone for the tour with a strategic, big-picture view.
Chongqing Was Different: Most People Weren’t Vegan (and That Was the Point)
If Hong Kong represented the industry landscape, Chongqing offered a close-up view of everyday life.
At a small local restaurant, most participants were not vegan or even fully plant-based yet. Many were still exploring, questioning, or cautiously experimenting, which made the conversations especially grounded and personal.
Rather than debate, the evening focused on listening. Participants shared stories about family dynamics, social pressure, nutrition concerns, sports performance, and emotional moments that first prompted them to reflect on their food choices. One theme surfaced again and again: the challenge of navigating social situations.
The Chongqing gathering showed how change often begins quietly, through reflection, empathy, and lived experience rather than persuasion.
In Shanghai, No One Asked “Why” Anymore
In Shanghai, the conversation moved into deeper, more practical territory. Over half of the participants were already practicing a vegan lifestyle, allowing discussions to shift quickly from motivation to implementation.
A dedicated co-creation session created space for participants to share both challenges and solutions. Topics ranged from content-creation burnout and the need for community support, to making plant-based food more appealing, more localized, and more nutritionally accessible.
One participant shared a self-drawn plant-based–friendly map of the city, created through years of personal exploration, an example of how individual initiative can evolve into shared resources.
Shanghai highlighted the importance of collaboration and peer support in sustaining long-term lifestyle change.
In Beijing, Experience Turned Into Action
The final stop in Beijing brought together long-time plant-based practitioners, community organizers, content creators, and entrepreneurs.
With a high level of shared experience in the room, the focus shifted toward scale and impact. Discussions explored how international models like Veganuary could be adapted to China’s cultural and social context, and how V-March might continue to evolve.
Participants emphasized leading by example, demonstrating health, vitality, and balance in daily life, as one of the most effective ways to influence others. There was also strong interest in professional nutritional guidance and product innovation, including insights from founders who created plant-based products to meet needs they had personally experienced.
Beijing became a convergence point, bringing together ideas and reflections from all four cities.
Looking Back
Across four cities and many conversations, the Vegan City Tour revealed the diversity of plant-based experiences in China—from industry strategy and entrepreneurship to personal exploration and community care.
Rather than delivering a single message, the tour created space for exchange: between international and local perspectives, between newcomers and experienced practitioners, and between ideas and real-world practice.
The week-long journey concluded, but the insights, connections, and momentum it generated now feed directly into the upcoming V-March challenge, grounded in lived experience and shaped by voices from across the country.
