DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Tuesday, August 11, 2020 | 7 CHINA Survey collects data on avian accidents

By LI HONGYANG near a glass barrier on a tourist Academy of Sciences’ Institute of [email protected] trail in a park in , Shanxi Zoology, mainly works on public province. According to the inves­ service activities and nature edu­ Two bird lovers from , tigation, they all died after crash­ cation courses. province, are conduct­ ing into the barrier. The survey will end soon, but ing a nationwide survey to prove “Birds can’t recognize glass Zhu said it will only result in a pre­ that collisions with windows, ahead of them so the people who liminary conclusion and further which can be fatal for birds, are built the barrier should have surveys will be carried out. not a rare event. been aware this may hurt birds “Every year, many birds die from They started the one­year survey and should redesign it to be envi­ collisions, so we want to generate a in September and by early last ronmentally friendly,” Zhu said. data set as quickly as possible to month had received more than 250 “The solution can be a lot eas­ raise public attention and maybe reports of birds hitting windows or ier if the problem is highlighted. inspire other researchers to come other glass­clad structures from 24 What people need to do, for up with more valuable ideas,” he provinces and regions. example, is just to close a gauze said. Zhu Lei, who came up with the curtain during the day to blur the Zhu said that when he idea for the survey, said ordinary glass.” searched the China National people should and could do some­ Zhu, who has a doctorate in Information Infrastructure, the thing to protect birds. avian ecology from the Chinese most comprehensive gateway of “The only purpose for me to information in the country, using launch the survey is to call on the key words “bird collision” more people to be aware of the and “glass”, he only found one phenomenon and help reduce research paper. the incidence of this tragedy,” he “I am considering summarizing said. and refining these reports into a Farmers harvest Sichuan peppers in Wudu , , province. LI XIAO / XINHUA Zhu, 39, deputy director of the scientific paper for publication aft­ Chengdu Bird Watching Society, er the one­year survey,” he said. and Gong Wenjie, a programmer, He is also thinking of cooperat­ designed an applet that can be ing with Li Binbin, an assistant found on the WeChat instant­ professor of environmental sci­ messaging platform. Zhu writes ences at Duke Kunshan Universi­ survey reports and Gong collects ty in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, Improved logistics put and analyzes data. who is leading a project on bird Through the applet, people can collisions. report when and where they have Since 2017, Li and her students seen a bird hit glass, what species it have been collecting information is and whether it survived. If they about birds hitting glass structures pepper in the fast lane cannot identify the species, the on the campus, which lies close to a applet allows them to upload pic­ bird migration route. tures. “When we find a building where “We hope more people can join bird collisions frequently happen, In the past, the popular Sichuan spice has had trouble us, so we don’t want to make the we suggest renovation of its win­ threshold too high by setting dows to reduce their transparency,” getting from the fields to consumers’ tables strict report parameters,” Zhu she said. “It turns out that after the said. “It would be better if they renovation there is a decrease in — For decades, Kou Due to the leap forward in describe the surroundings and such incidents. Rui’s father kept his family of seven development, Kou has seen the buildings in detail but we don’t “We are promoting a bird­ afloat through the huajiao — Sich­ freight journey time from his insist on that.” friendly environment on campus, uan pepper — trade. hometown to Sichuan reduced to In a report on the survey’s find­ while Zhu has designed a platform Now Kou, 38, has built his own less than five hours. Meanwhile, ings for the final quarter of last to communicate with all citizens, fortune from the unique plant and locally grown is of year, Zhu presented the number which can help put bird collisions helped spice up poor farmers’ lives higher quality thanks to govern­ of birds found to have hit glass, on the public agenda.” deep in the mountains of northwest­ ment support, and supply is the death toll, their species, and Zhu said the biggest problem ern China. booming. the places the accidents occurred now is how to expand awareness of Despite its name, Sichuan pepper, Once a local delight, the spice has in the form of bar or pie charts, the issue. the dried, rust­colored berries of a now ventured abroad, gaining trac­ and also attached videos or pho­ “I hope more people learn type of spiky shrub native to parts of tion among foreign customers. Gao tographs of the sites. From top: Zhu Lei attends a bird about the survey and report bird western China, is not actual pepper. Zhidong, founder of another Sich­ The account that impressed survey in Qinghai province. PRO­ collisions to us so that the data Delivering a slightly numbing sen­ uan pepper cooperative in Longnan, Zhu the most was filed in Octo­ VIDED TO CHINA DAILY A woodpecker pool can be persuasive and the sation and a lemony, peppery aro­ has not only succeeded in selling his ber after the bodies of 15 vinous­ died after hitting a window. issue be more discussed and then ma, it is used extensively in Sichuan products to hotpot heavyweight throated parrotbills were found CHEN LIJUN / FOR CHINA DAILY solved,” he said. food to create its trademark flavor: Haidilao but also tapped the Ger­ numbing heat. man market. Many Chinese people adore Sich­ When an industry offers hope, tal­ uan pepper, but its journey from ented youths step in. Ouyang Shu­ pit transformed into a park farm to table used to be arduous. zhi, a college graduate in e­ Kou and his family live in Long­ commerce who is employed by Gao’s nan, in northwestern China’s Gan­ cooperative, incorporated his CHANGSHA — A newly opened district as part of efforts to behind a huge pit covering an su province, which neighbors the expertise into its business strategies. amusement park in Changsha, the restore the environment and area of 180,000 square meters. provinces of and Sichuan. Last year, a third of the cooperative’s capital of Central China’s Hunan boost urban development. To heal the scar on the land, While the junction boasts a major From top: Traders choose Sich­ more than 30 million yuan ($4.32 province, has become a hot topic Pingtang, on the outskirts of Hunan Xiangjiang New Area Sichuan pepper­growing region, uan peppers at a fair held in million) in Sichuan pepper sales among residents. Changsha, was home to a cluster Investment Group spent 12 billion offering locals a potential lifeline, Wudu. Sichuan peppers grown came from online platforms. The park opened on July 11, but of more than 30 construction yuan ($1.7 billion) building the soaring mountains long stood in in Wudu are known for their Niu Junping, deputy head of people had been snapping up material and chemical factories amusement park, which includes a the way. quality. PHOTOS BY CAI YANG / XINHUA , said: “Among various tickets since the end of June. Visi­ in the 1950s that caused serious lake. Construction work began in Among those to blaze a trail was Sichuan peppers of prime quality tors to the park have also includ­ pollution. November 2015. Kou’s father. Three decades ago, due across China, those grown in Wudu ed the stars and production “The sky was gray and dusty at Other attractions built nearby, to the technical know­how needed years, taking advantage of district stand out due to their promi­ crews of several popular enter­ that time. People who lived around including a shopping street and a to grow and harvest Sichuan pep­ improved logistics and introduc­ nent numbing properties, thus tainment programs. here hardly opened the windows. movie theme town, helped rein­ per, planting was scattered and lim­ ing fresh ideas, aided by favorable enjoying popularity. And with top “We can play in the water and Our windowsills, even the leaves on vigorate the old industrial area. ited in scale. So was the trade. government policies. yields, we play a crucial role in lead­ snow here in the hot summer. It’s the trees, were enveloped by dust,” “In the past, on a clear day, you Besides, the journey to the nearest Kou set up a Sichuan pepper coop­ ing the domestic Sichuan pepper a great place to relax and have said 54­year­old Pingtang resident would be covered with dust, market was quite a trek. The crop erative in 2003 after completing mil­ market.” parties,” said Wu Shu, who visited Xie Yiqiang. while on a rainy day, you would was in great demand in Sichuan, on itary service. Since then it has lifted At the height of summer, clumps the park with her friends. In 2008 the city government be splashed with mud,” Xie said. the other side of the mountains, but over 90 households out of poverty. of ripened berries hang from shrubs Another reason the park, shut down dozens of cement and “However, I can now invite my to carry it there Kou’s father had to “Great potential in the demand for in a village in Longnan. Villager dubbed the “kingdom of ice and chemical plants, leading to a sig­ friends to my place with confi­ spend over 20 hours on the road, Sichuan pepper has revved up local Wang Fuchao weaves in and out of snow on a mine”, has gone viral is nificant reduction in air and dence. With convenient roads, I transferring from bus to train. growers’ enthusiasm,” said Chen the branches, racing to finish pick­ that it was built above an aban­ water pollution. feel much happier living here.” Quality Sichuan pepper produced Hongyan, head of an organization in ing all the berries on over 500 Sich­ doned pit more than 100 meters One of the businesses that shut in Longnan’s Wudu district was sold Wudu that serves the Sichuan pep­ uan pepper trees before early deep in the city’s Pingtang sub­ down, a cement company, left XINHUA for up to 8 yuan a kilogram 30 years per trade. August. He said Sichuan pepper can ago, twice the average daily salary of In 2003, the local government des­ sell for more than 120 yuan a kilo­ most workers in western China at ignated the industry as a prime way gram this year, and his total income the time. to eliminate poverty, encouraging will reach at least 40,000 yuan. After Sichuan pepper brought fortune large­scale planting and bolstering the harvest, he will seek work in oth­ to Kou’s family, and even a taste of the logistical infrastructure. er places, earning more money for the unknown. Once, his father More recently, powered by China’s his family. bought peanuts back home from poverty alleviation efforts, the city’s In Longnan, the history of culti­ Sichuan after selling his pepper in transportation service has embraced vating Sichuan pepper dates back the province. “It was the first time a new round of upgrades. In 2017, a about 1,000 years. Now, the industry that I’d ever seen or eaten peanuts. I major railway connecting Lanzhou, is taking on a new look. The area ate too many and suffered from Gansu’s provincial capital, with the planted with Sichuan pepper in diarrhea and vomiting for days,” southwestern municipality of Chong­ Wudu district has reached 66,667 Kou said. “But Sichuan pepper gave qing, via Longnan and other cities, hectares, and the industry has me a glimpse of the outside world.” opened for service. Couriers like SF helped 86,000 local residents cast Despite such humble begin­ Express have also established bran­ off poverty. nings, the younger generation has ches in Longnan, speeding up the From left: Ski enthusiasts at the Xiangjiang Happy City’s ice and snow section in Changsha, Hunan spiced up the narrative in recent delivery of goods. XINHUA province. XU XING / FOR CHINA DAILY The theme park opened to visitors in July. XUE YUGE / XINHUA

only boosted consumption but also bands performed here,” she said. director and honorary president of Film festival breathes life back into industry popularized the film festival among The increased flow of tourists pro­ the film festival. “At a time when the locals and tourists,” Li said. vided many businesses with an epidemic continues to overshadow Gao Wenqiang, a security guard opportunity to make up for losses the lives of many, and online view­ — For over a week, the With a theme of “getting back to industry and some 600 reporters at the site, said the number of peo­ incurred during the pandemic in ing in lieu of theaters has become cool summer nights in Xining, the cinema”, it provided Xining resi­ attended the festival. ple at a screening sometimes the first half of the year. One store the new normal, I cannot emphasize Qinghai province, were illuminated dents with an opportunity to return Most tickets to the film screen­ exceeded 3,000. Li Ying, 64, enjoyed owner said he sold 100 bottles of enough how admirable it is for by a large outdoor screen. to a familiar routine following the ings, including the open­air venue, film screenings sitting on the con­ drink by 8:30 pm most nights. FIRST to hold its ground.” The screen was part of the 14th COVID­19 pandemic and months of were sold out as soon as bookings crete steps. “Watching films in an Visitors to the festival had to com­ The China Film Administration FIRST International Film Festival restrictions to control the spread of were opened to the public via online open­air venue is a childhood mem­ ply with the pandemic prevention allowed cinemas in low­risk areas to that attracted hundreds of filmmak­ the novel coronavirus. platforms. The organizers invited ory for our generation,” Li Ying said. guidelines. They were required to resume operations from July 20, fol­ ers and cinema enthusiasts to the “The open­air cinema of the film locals to sit on steps and watch mov­ Li Hailing, a 20­year­old student, show their health codes and under­ lowing an improvement in the city. festival was set up to add more cultur­ ies on the giant outdoor screen for was a regular visitor to the open­air go temperature screening before country’s COVID­19 situation. The festival, which ran from July al elements to the city and better pro­ free. “As the screen was installed in cinema. “It’s been a long time since I taking their seats. So far, 36 of the 50 cinemas in 26 to Aug 3, was aimed at helping mote the festival, as well as new films,” one of the city’s busiest commercial watched a movie in the theater with “It is a pleasure and, at the same Qinghai have reopened. emerging young filmmakers pro­ said Li Ziwei, one of the organizers. streets, the decision to invite more my friends, so this festival is a thrilling time, a pity to talk about cinema in mote their work. Cinephiles, members of the film people to the free­entry area not experience for young people. Even live 2020,” said Xie Fei, a renowned film XINHUA