| Little dogs have transformed Beijing. In the early 1990s you never saw anyone walking a dog. Some people had cats as pets, many had birds, certainly, and I remember a duck. But when you saw a dog in the city, it was notable and a surprise. Now, they are everywhere. The loneliness of apartment dwelling is eased by a dog. Evening walks are more fun when you have a companion, and cats just won't play the part.
China suffered several famines after 1949. Feeding a pet was out of the question. Birds were a luxury but one that many maintained in spite of hunger. A dog or a cat in those days would have denied food to some other family.
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