ABSTRACT
Chinese intimacy with nature and a traditional regard for plants and animals as sources of beauty, inspiration, and symbolism rather than exploitation and profit was inspired in large part by an economic system based on agriculture that brought most Chinese close to land, forests, and waters. In the modern world, industrialization, urbanization, and technology have alienated millions from nature, including the Chinese. It is now possible to live something like a “virtual” life with cell phones, television, movies, and computers, with little or no connection with the natural world. Even the change of seasons can be evaded in artificial environments. This anti-ecological way of life is spreading with technology and industry. Air-conditioned skyscrapers now spring up in desert environments like Dubai as well as on the fringes of rain forests. New cities are springing up throughout China and devouring the countryside.
