CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Thursday, April 1, 2021 | 7 CHINA ‘Swan father’ waves goodbye to winter flock

For almost six months, patrolman of nature reserve feeds and protects migratory birds from Siberia

By SUN RUISHENG in Taiyuan sated the farmers for their losses in and LI YANG agricultural production due to the wetland protection projects. “In early spring, when I lie in bed I The migratory swans first came to can clearly hear the bugles of the Pinglu in the 1970s. Initially, farm­ swans,” said He Jianxi, a 66­year­old ers thought of them as pests, but farmer from Sanwan village in Ping­ they later learned to accept them. lu county, Shanxi province. Li Xiaoping, head of the wild ani­ The “swan father” considered the mal protection station of the Pinglu chorus of calls from thousands of forestry bureau, said farmers are white swans that have wintered in now leading efforts to look after the the Pinglu section of the Yellow Riv­ wild birds. er as a farewell call before their The number of swans wintering return to Siberia. in Pinglu has increased from less He has been working for 19 years than 100 in the beginning to tens of as a patrolman in the Sanwan Yel­ thousands today. low River Wetland Park that covers “There is a consensus on protect­ an area of more than 6,000 hectares ing swans among local residents,” Li and where the swans stay from said. “Since I took over the post in October to March. 2002, there has not been a single Over those months, his daily task incident of hurting or poaching the is to feed and protect his avian swans. They are like our close neigh­ guests. “I have to guarantee they eat bors.” well and sleep well here,” said He, He Jianxi is happy when visiting who starts preparing food for the photographers tell him the wet­ swans at 6:30 in the morning. Meal­ land park is the only place in the times are at 8:00 am, noon and 4:00 country where people can watch pm. wild swans on such a large scale at If the weather is good, about 200 close range. kilograms of fodder made of cabbage “It is because the swans have built and corn is enough as the birds can up their trust in local residents,” He forage in the water. However, if the said, adding he is proud of his role in river is frozen, the swans need about cultivating that trust. five times the amount of fodder. He’s He Jianxi feeds swans wintering in the Sanwan Yellow River Wetland Park in Pinglu county, Shanxi province. YANG PEIPEI / FOR CHINA DAILY The swans have attracted large co­worker Wei Jingyi helps prepare numbers of onlookers, and fueled a the food on cold days when the work­ boom in the catering and tourism load is too much for one man. ing session. He describes it as “a That’s how I feel when I find they said with a sorrowful look. “It is a birds. The county government has industries. The first time He fed the birds is hundred responses to a single call”, are in need of help.” long and arduous migratory jour­ also strengthened protection of the However, He is aware the swans fresh in his memory. “The wild birds earning him the sobriquets the The swan he cares most about is ney, and it is a dangerous world.” wetland. are only transient visitors. “Spring are clever and wary. They shunned “swan father” and “swan command­ the “Little Red Neck”, a male swan Talking about Little Red Neck It has spent 630,000 yuan came early this year so the swans me and regarded me as a danger,” er” from those who have witnessed wearing a red loop with the number only consolidates He’s resolve to ful­ ($96,900) every year since 2014 to left early. Little Red Neck departed He said. “But after I stayed with the phenomenon. tag “F55” attached to it. It is not fill his duty as a guardian of the subsidize farmers living near the on Feb 18,” he said. them for a long time, they got famil­ After the early feeding, He patrols known who tagged the bird. Ten birds. “I am not alone in the cause,” wetland to return grain plots to wet­ As of early last month, almost all iar with me and slowly began to get 5 kilometers of the Yellow River’s years ago, He encountered the bird he said. land and to buy patrol boats. the swans had left to fly north. But closer.” banks to check for injured or sick in the wetland when the swan was A total of 20 million yuan has He is already counting down the swans. Over almost two decades, he with its mate. Protection money also been invested in expanding days until his “children, neighbors Honk, if you’re happy has saved more than 100 sick and The swan, his partner and their Shanxi provincial authorities forest near the wetland by 167 hec­ and friends” return for their winter Now, the swans and He are good wounded birds. offspring returned to the wetland have issued special instructions and tares to create more habitats for the sojourn “safe and sound”. friends. Once he blows his whistle, “They are like my children,” he every autumn until 2017, when Little provided strong support for the pro­ swans. the birds flock to him from all direc­ said. “You know that anxious feeling Red Neck flew back alone. “Proba­ tection of migratory birds in a bid to The Yellow River wetland admin­ Contact the writers at tions anxiously waiting for the feed­ of parents when their kids are ill. bly, his wife died by accident,” He make Pinglu a safe haven for the istrative department has compen­ [email protected] Huge investment agreements demonstrate business confidence in Nansha

By CHEN HONG in Guangzhou, Guangdong [email protected] The new projects With a range of business agree­ demonstrate the ments valued at nearly 265 billion flourishing yuan ($40.36 billion) signed on Tues­ day at a government­sponsored con­ development trend in ference, Nansha district in Nansha and our Guangzhou has again demonstrated itself as a popular destination for favorable investment investment. environment. The Of the deals, the technology arm of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, new investments will China’s largest private carmaker, has help to gather decided to set up its national head­ quarters for commercial aerospace momentum for faster business in Nansha. development in It will put all its aerospace­related subsidiaries in the headquarters, and Nansha.” is expected to generate an annual Dong Ke, chief of the Nansha industrial output of more than 10 bil­ district government lion yuan in total, according to the agreement signed with the adminis­ trative committee of Nansha Eco­ nomic and Technological 265 Development Zone. Business representatives sign investment projects at the Nansha session of the seventh Guangzhou Annual Investment Conference China billion yuan The new project will deepen the held in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Tuesday. LIU WEI / FOR CHINA DAILY in agreements signed at an synergy with companies in Nansha annual investment conference in the aerospace industry to in Nansha complete the industrial chain from economy, financial services, modern According to official statistics, quarters have settled in Nansha, offi­ the Greater Bay Area,” Dong said. rocket development at the high end, agriculture and urban infrastruc­ gross domestic product of Nansha cial statistics show. satellite production in the middle ture, according to the local increased by more than 70 percent Pony.ai, a self­driving vehicle Incentive policies of up to 10 million yuan each year. and space technology applications at government. from 2015 to 2020. Meanwhile, startup, invested in Nansha in 2017. Investment and talent attraction The new policy also raises the the low end, said Xie Xiaohui, direct­ “The new projects demonstrate major economic indices, including It has developed as a leader in the are always a top priority for the local housing allowance to Nobel Prize or of the district’s commerce bureau. the flourishing development trend fixed­asset investment, foreign trade self­driving sector with the highest government, said the district chief. winners and academicians from 5 Just three weeks ago, construction in Nansha and our favorable invest­ and actually utilized foreign funds, valuation in China, according to Efforts include generous rewards and million yuan to 10 million yuan, while began in Nansha on a solid­fuel rock­ ment environment. had double­digit growth over the Dong. subsidies, improving the efficiency of an innovative group led by top indus­ et production base, funded by Beijing “The new investments will help to same period. The auto manufacturing industry government departments and solv­ trial leaders can be subsidized with CAS Aerospace Exploration Technol­ gather momentum for faster devel­ The government’s figures also in Nansha, led by GAC Toyota, has ing housing problems for talents and up to 20 million yuan. ogy. It is expected to be the first com­ opment in Nansha,” said Dong Ke, indicate that 158,000 companies generated an annual industrial out­ introducing quality schools. Besides the government efforts, mercial aerospace industrial base chief of the district government. were registered in Nansha as of the put of more than 100 billion yuan for The district government has issued Nansha also boasts excellent natural that covers the whole production end of 2020, which was 9.4 times the three years in succession, he said. 16 incentive policies to further environment, fresh air and delicious chain, capable of producing more Industrial advantages number in 2015. A total of 197 pro­ The intelligent internet connection encourage technological innovation food, said Dong. than 30 carrier rockets annually after Nansha, covering an area of 803 jects have featured investment from and new energy vehicle sectors also in mid­March. “The economy of Nansha has operations begin in early 2022. square kilometers in the southern the world’s top 500 transnational have strong growth potential with For a technological research plat­ shown strong growth and the urban According to the district’s plan, part of Guangzhou, was built on companies. industrial output approaching 300 form, if it can satisfy the district gov­ function is improving. Our district Nansha aims to attract more compa­ tideland. It is located right at the “We have accelerated the develop­ billion yuan a year, he noted. ernment’s requirements on key has been a fertile land for innovation nies engaged in the research and geometric center of the Guangdong­ ment of strategic emerging indus­ A fund was agreed at the annual industrial development and is signifi­ and startups and a great place for development of spacecraft, assembly, Hong Kong­Macao Greater Bay tries to improve their core investment conference to promote cant in bolstering growth, it can study, living and tourism,” he noted. aerospace power services and parts Area. competitiveness over the past few the bilateral cooperation between access subsidies of up to 200 million Xu Zhihao, CEO of Geely Technolo­ production to become a key player in Established in 2005, the district years,” the district chief said. Guangdong and Russia. The parties yuan, one of the highest financial gy Group expressed his confidence in China’s surging aerospace industry. was upgraded as a national new The artificial intelligence and involved have chosen Nansha to set supports provided by a local govern­ setting up its aerospace headquarters The investment agreements zone in 2012. In 2014, it became part digital economy have emerged as up the operating company of the ment across the country. in Nansha. signed at the Nansha session of the of the pilot free trade zone of Guang­ two new engines of the district, while fund, which will strengthen the Each year the district allocates 100 He said the district has a great geo­ seventh Guangzhou Annual Invest­ dong province. the innovation economy, marine financial industry of the district, million yuan to encourage compa­ graphic location and is leading in sys­ ment Conference China on Tuesday It was positioned as a demonstra­ economy and headquarters econo­ according to a government release. nies to make breakthroughs in new tem innovation, which is on the way cover several other important fields. tion zone for all­around cooperation my have kept pace to create a mod­ “Nansha will accumulate momen­ technologies, tackle key technical to becoming an international innova­ They include strategic new indus­ among Guangdong and the Hong ern industrial system, Dong said. tum for innovation and problems and carry out research on tion center and a hub of world talent. tries: advanced manufacturing, Kong and Macao special More than 300 AI companies, 200 development with an ambition to generic technologies in industry. Out­ The district has great potential, he ports and logistics, headquarters administrative regions in 2019. life­science companies and 85 head­ become an innovative lighthouse for standing projects can gain a subsidy added.

This section is sponsored by the Nansha district government.