Just as China is called the world factory for manufactured goods, it is also a world factory for manufactured animal cruelty in a new phenomenon of globalized animal cruelty. Animals in China examines animal protection in China in its legal, social and cultural contexts.

Deborah Cao is a professor at Griffith University, Australia. She is a scholar of animal law, legal language, legal translation and Chinese law and legal culture. She is also active in social media in China and writes about Chinese culture, society and animals, and was named one of the 200 most influential bloggers in China in 2012.