An expert in classical literature and one-time Mao Zedong associate devotes herself to sick animals. Chen Chuanlin with China Features reports.

The 80-sq-m apartment in the northwestern part of Beijing looks like a mini-zoo with 43 cats, 5 dogs, 3 rabbits, 3 pigeons, a duck, an owl and a monkey. The animals are everywhere - on the patio, sofa, tables, and even on the bookshelves. Amid the stench, one thing is immediately evident: Many animals are sick, injured or crippled.

Lu Di, 79, patiently cleans up the fur, feathers and excrement covering her home. She has been feeding and cleaning the animals non-stop since 5 am. She also needs to take the sick ones to the veterinarian.

Thin and hunched, the gray-haired Lu is professor emeritus at Renmin University. She also heads the China Small Animal Protection Association (CSAPA), an NGO she founded in 1992.

"She could have lived a comfortable life like other elderly people, but chose not to," says Zhong Liqin, who works for CSAPA.

Some 35 years ago, Lu shot to national stardom when Chairman Mao Zedong chose her to discuss classical Chinese literature.

Born and raised in an intellectual family, Lu was 44 in 1975 when the 82-year-old Chairman's eyesight was failing from cataracts. Mao loved to read, especially classical Chinese literature and history.

Mao had a secretary to read the Party's documents for him, but his secretary found classical Chinese writing difficult to handle. Mao needed someone who had a solid background in classical literature and could also interact with him.

A number of candidates were selected from the Chinese literature department of Peking University. From that group, Mao picked Lu.

Mao had read a selection of classical Chinese writings entitled Anthology of Past Dynasties, in which Lu had annotated a few articles. Mao was impressed by Lu's literary talent, and remembered her name.

Lu's four-month experience of reading for Mao and discussing classical writings with him won her nationwide fame.

She describes her past self as an elegant woman, who "often sat in a clean office, drinking tea and reading books". She wants to write about Mao and classical Chinese literature, but caring for the animals leaves her with little time and energy.

Lu says her love of small animals goes back to when she was a young girl. "I had ducks, cats, and dogs as pets at home," she recalls.

She first started saving injured animals during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

"The political chaos left many families broken, and pets homeless or abused," she says.

"I felt I had to save them. All lives are equal, and we all live only once.

"I've seen too much cruelty to ignore the barbarian and uncivilized side of China. It has become my mission to save abused animals and awaken people's conscience so they treat animals properly."

CSAPA is dedicated to the promotion of animal welfare and animal rescue and is now China's largest animal welfare group. It runs an animal shelter in Beijing's northern Changping district that houses more than 1,000 animals, mostly dogs and cats, in residence.

But she faces several obstacles.

Neighbors are becoming increasingly intolerant of the growing numbers of animals making their way into Lu's home. The smell from her apartment discourages visitors. Many of her workers have quit fearing infection.

"I admire her concern for small creatures. But you can't do that (show concern) at the cost of other people's welfare," says a security guard in the neighborhood.

Lu says she has no choice because the animals are either sick or injured and need special attention.

"The neighbors don't understand and the security guards inspect my belongings to prevent me from smuggling animals into the building. I have been accused, humiliated and attacked, but I'm not worried. I'm very strong," she says.

What does worry her, however, is the cost of running CSAPA. The 1,000-plus animals consume about 300 kg of dog and cat food every day, costing up to 70,000 yuan ($10,200) a month.

Considering medical costs and staff pay, the organization needs at least 150,000 yuan ($22,000) a month. Lu struggles with the funding as member contributions and donations always fall short. She has sold her furniture and car, and mortgaged her apartment.

Lu lives alone. Her husband died in 2004 and her daughter and son moved to the United States in the 1980s. Her son, an IT programmer, has been sending Lu $50,000 a year since 1990.

"I've spent it all on the animals. I don't dare tell my son that I need much more. My heart aches for my poor son. But I can't stop what I'm doing."

To Lu, the abandoned animals are as innocent as children. She knows the names of each of them and their stories.

"Each of them has a sad story," Lu says, pointing to a dog named Yong Chang. She was pregnant when Lu found her. She had only three legs, one of which was skinned. "That was clear evidence of cruelty. China needs a law to punish those who abuse animals, otherwise the cruelty will never end," Lu says.

"Every time an animal looks into my eyes as though begging for help, I have to help. I will keep saving them as long as I'm still breathing."

While Lu Di and her followers help rescue animals, other groups are trying to promote animal welfare on the Internet.

The China Animals Protection Vanguard, founded last August, comprises a group of young people aged 25 to 30, who run a website to raise public awareness of animal welfare.

They celebrated when the draft of China's first legislation on animal welfare, the China Animal Protection Law, was released on Sept 18, 2009.

"We ran around telling everyone the good news," says Jian Cheng, one of the initiators of the group. "The draft is very important in that it is China's first move to protect animals."

The 30,000-word document, which criminalizes abusing and abandoning pets and inhumane slaughtering, is currently open to public submissions.

Cases of animal abuse are not rare in China. In 2006, an online clip showed a woman stomping a cat to death. In 2002, a 22-year-old Tsinghua University student splashed sulphuric acid on bears in Beijing Zoo. Both cases drew nationwide criticism, but neither of the abusers was punishable under extant law.

On Oct 31 last year, Chang Jiwen, a researcher with the Law Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and member of the team that drafted the China Animal Protection Law, said at a media event that the group had made more than 300 recommendations. A forum will be held next month to discuss revisions to the draft legislation.

It has triggered a nationwide debate, despite an online approval rating of 80 percent. Critics argue that a law for animals is an indulgence when the problems of humans are yet to be solved.

Jiang Jinsong, associate professor of the Institute of Science Technology and Society of Tsinghua University, says that animal rights do not conflict with human rights. "If a country starts to care about animals, there is no reason that it will not care even more about human rights," he says.

But Jiang also believes the debate is good. "It would have sounded ridiculous if we had discussed animal protection 10 years ago. China has made great progress in this area. Critics, experts, scholars, and animal rescuers like Lu Di are all part of that progress."