Local awareness and cultural value of threatened species are regarded as integral components of conservation programmes, but pro-environmental attitudes do not necessarily prevent negative human interactions with threatened species. The history of cultural attitudes towards gibbons in China provides an important case study about long-term conservation effectiveness of positive biodiversity values. Animals readily identifiable as gibbons are frequently recorded in Chinese culture from the Zhou Dynasty onward. Gibbons were interpreted as symbols of the supernatural and celebrated in Chinese literature and art. They were also regarded as positive moral exemplars embodying virtuous filial Confucian values, and were equated with the concept of junzi, a noble person who strives after virtue and inspires by example. However, positive cultural associations had little effect in preventing the historical loss of gibbon populations across nearly all of China. Historical records also document exploitation of gibbons for medicinal and other uses, and gibbon declines likely reflect historical conflict with economic demands for local subsistence in marginalised low-income communities. Positive cultural values may therefore be insufficient to prevent species losses if they are outweighed by economic pressures, and awareness may not contribute to positive behavioural change if it does not address drivers of negative human–wildlife interactions.