ABSTRACT
During the era of Mao Zedong, little concern was paid to China's environment. However, in the 1980s, as China "opened up," the subject began to enjoy increased attention, not only within China but also in the international community—among foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), academics, and journalists. Now, this once neglected subject has come into its own. There is a huge body of largely science-oriented literature existing in Chinese (largely beyond the scope of this chapter) as well as substantial resources in Western languages on the subject.
