One Man's Quest to Protect Country's Endemic Species
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CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Tuesday, July 27, 2021 | 7 CHINA One man’s quest to protect country’s endemic species From soldier to wildlife photographer, Shandong native advocates for conserving endangered animals through powerful, moving images in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau By HOU LIQIANG in Xining conservation experts in Qinghai [email protected] and places much farther afield. Making full use of his time during “Cease to struggle and you cease business trips to Beijing, for exam- Qu Duyi attends a ceremony to promote a feature movie about to live.” This is the motto Ge Yuxiu ple, he has visited experts at the Chi- her parents in Beijing in 2011. CHEN CANGKE / FOR CHINA DAILY lives by. “I am still not too old to nese Academy of Sciences and the move. I can still do something,” he Chinese Academy of Forestry more said while smiling. than a dozen times. The 68-year-old Shandong pro- Through his photos, Ge is a pro- vince native has lived in Qinghai active advocate to the government, Journalist broadcast province for 51 years. For almost half research institutions and the public, that time, he has been on the Qing- on the need to protect Przewalski’s news of PRC’s founding hai-Tibet Plateau, where he has gazelle. devoted his life to photographing After long-term observation, he and protecting wild animals. realized that the chain link herds- to the world in Russian Despite serious heart trouble, Ge men used to fence off grazing areas is determined to stay on the high-al- posed a great risk. The fences not titude plateau and continue to do only impeded the gazelles’ move- By MA ZHENHUAN in Hangzhou PATH TO GLORY something to help conserve wildlife ments, but also made them easier [email protected] Path to glory in the area, which is sometimes prey for predators like wolves and PROFILE called the “Third Pole” for the foxes. When asked about the most valu- amount of water stored in its gla- Hoping to address the problem, able advice her parents had ever giv- ciers. he began an advocacy campaign at en her, 99-year-old Qu Duyi would Ge came to Qinghai to serve in the universities and elementary and reply, “Always love the motherland.” People’s Liberation Army in 1970. secondary schools in Qinghai. He Qu Duyi, a veteran journalist who He was lucky enough to gain access managed to get signatures from worked for Xinhua News Agency, to a camera after he became compa- about 2,600 teachers and students devoted her life to journalism. ny commander eight years later. by showing them photos of the ante- Qu received the July 1 Medal on His enthusiasm for photography lope falling victim to the fences. June 29 — the highest honor pre- grew after a photo he took of sol- His perseverance led to at least sented by the Communist Party of diers reading news articles written eight of his proposals reaching China to its outstanding members on a blackboard was published in Qinghai provincial authorities. to reward their outstanding dedica- the Qinghai Daily in 1979. Clockwise from top: Ge Yuxiu takes photos of wildlife in Qinghai Following his suggestions, tion to the Party and the Chinese He probably would never have province. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY A baby Przewalski’s gazelle in Qing- authorities chose Przewalski’s people. The CPC handed out the turned to photographing wild ani- hai. A wolf stands on the slope. PHOTOS BY GE YUXIU / FOR CHINA DAILY gazelle as the mascot of an interna- awards as it celebrates its 100th mals without a visit to Bird Island in tional cycle race held around Qing- anniversary this year. Qinghai Lake — China’s largest hai Lake in 2006, and a reserve and Andrey Denisov, Russia’s ambas- inland saltwater lake — in 1995, after gazelle”, he took out his camera and ally visited local herdsman to learn a separate station especially for the sador to China, later sent Qu a mes- he had retired from the army and had took photos of them. what they knew about the animal. conservation of the antelope were sage congratulating her on winning begun working in financial sector. He was later told by wildlife con- As he followed the animals, dan- established in December 2007 and the honor and wishing her good Covering less than half a square servation experts that he had cap- ger was never far away. One early September 2009, respectively. health and happiness, Russia’s kilometer, the island is home to over tured the world’s first image of the winter morning, Ge fell asleep while Thanks to joint efforts, the popu- Sputnik News Agency reported on 100,000 migratory birds. “I became elusive antelope. hiding near the antelopes’ habitat. lation of Przewalski’s gazelle has June 30. addicted to the bird kingdom,” Ge “I was so excited to hear that,” he Woken up by howls, he saw that five now increased to about 2,700. Qu, who grew up in Xiaoshan dis- said, adding that he has so far visit- said. wolves were chasing a gazelle about Since 2019, Ge has turned to advo- trict in Hangzhou, capital of Zhe- ed the island more than 200 times to His excitement, however, soon 100 meters away. cating for black-necked cranes to be jiang province, was born in Shang- take photos. gave way to anxiety after he learned The herd was only 30 meters made China’s national bird as the hai in November 1921 and joined He never anticipated that his about the animal’s endangered sta- away when it passed the sand dune country bolsters efforts to protect the CPC in August 1946. attraction to the island would tie his tus. Only found around Qinghai Ge had hidden behind. Though the endemic species. She is the daughter of Qu Qiubai, destiny with Przewalski’s gazelle, a Lake, there were just 300 of them wolves didn’t find him, he was so Because many Chinese are not one of the first leaders of the Party. relatively small, slender antelope surviving in the wild at the time. scared that he became drenched in familiar with Przewalski’s gazelle, Her mother, Yang Zhihua, became a endemic to China. The incident became a turning sweat despite subzero tempera- the cranes or Tibetan wild donkeys, Party member in 1924 and was vice- founding of the People’s Republic of Ge was en route to the island in point in Ge’s photography career, as tures. Ge believes more understanding is chairwoman of the All-China Wom- China. She was the first person to late 1997 to take photos of swans he decided to devote his efforts to “It would have been a lot easier for needed, and he has pledged to do en’s Federation from 1949 to 1967. broadcast the news about the his- when he saw seven yellowish-brown saving the gazelle and other endan- the wolves to catch me than to catch something to address the problem. Qu Qiubai went to Moscow in the toric moment in Russian to audien- animals running across the grass- gered animals. that antelope,” he said, a trace of fear “If people don’t even know of former Soviet Union in 1920 to ces worldwide. lands, in a line. On hearing one of He often spent time in the wild still in his eyes. them, it will be not easy to get them serve as the Party’s representative. “I was so excited at that moment his companions shout “Przewalski’s observing the gazelle and occasion- Ge has regularly visited wildlife protected,” he said. Some years later, Yang came with and felt very honored to be able to Qu Duyi to join him. report the establishment of the PRC Qu Qiubai returned to China to to the world,” she said. participate in the revolutionary In 1950, Qu and her husband, Li cause in July 1930. In order to avoid He, went to Moscow and set up a the brutal crackdown on protesters Xinhua bureau there, China’s first by troops deployed by the Kuomint- news agency established in a for- ang in China, Yang and Qu Duyi eign country after the founding of stayed behind in Moscow. the PRC. They also served as trans- Qu Qiubai was killed by KMT lators for then Premier Zhou Enlai troops in June 1935. and Chinese delegations who visit- Qu Duyi returned to China after ed the former Soviet Union. the WWII started in 1939. She was In 1957, Qu returned to China later seized by a warlord along with and went to work at the Chinese 150 CPC cadres and their family Academy of Agricultural Sciences. members. In 1946, she was rescued In 1978, she was transferred to the and sent to Yan’an, Shaanxi prov- Russian section of Xinhua’s Inter- ince, which was the cradle of the national Department, where she Chinese revolution led by the CPC. worked as a translator and editor On Oct 1, 1949, Qu accompanied until her retirement in 1982. delegates from the former Soviet Union as they stood on the Cai Jingwen contributed to this A herd of Przewalski’s gazelles runs on the grassland in Qinghai. GE YUXIU / FOR CHINA DAILY Tian’anmen Rostrum to witness the story. medical care and other public servi- ces has improved people’s quality of Growth of district in Inner Mongolia’s Ordos turning heads life. In recent years, more than 30 HOHHOT — After living in Kang- schools have been built in Kang- bashi for two years, Jon Steenbeke bashi, ranging from preschool edu- now regards this emerging district cation to higher education.