Shanghai’s animal saviour: helping strays in China is spiritual journey for Buddhist monk

Zhi Xiang is a Shanghai-based Buddhist monk who has been saving animals since the early 1990s. Over the years, he has expanded his efforts and built a small team that runs an animal shelter caring for up to 7,000 dogs and cats. The operation, set up at the Gratitude Temple on the outskirts of the Chinese megacity, has given many animals a forever home and helped the monk find his way on his spiritual journey.