She Guards the Mountains over 30 Years

At the end of February, Shennongjia, known as the "roof of central China", is filled with dancing snowflakes, while silent mountains are capped with snow. The Shennongding area is even colder, with frozen branches and towering ice cliffs. However, a team of five people has long dwelled in this world of snow and ice. They are stationed at the top of the mountains all year round, walking in valleys, guarding every element of mountain habitat and living creatures here. In this small team, two remarkable women, Chen Meirong and Yi Jiafen, are as courageous as their male team members. Fearless as they are, they always persevere with their tasks due to their beliefs. Our visit to this land of snow and wind is to discover how strong their hearts are and how great their thoughts, and to ensure this resounding spirit can blossom in the snow and ice, radiating among the majestic mountains of the Shennongjia National Park.

Standing in the territory of the Shennongding Management and Conservation Center, I suddenly remembered Han Yu's poem "Spring Snow": "On a vernal day no flowers were in bloom. In the second moon, I'm glad to see the budding grass. But white snow dislikes the late-coming vernal breeze. It plays the parting flowers flying through the trees." Although it was Rain Water according to the Solar Terms, we could barely see any flowers or sprouting grass.

The Shennongding Management and Conservation Center is one of the most environmentally challenging centers of the eighteen management and conservation centers in Shennongjia National Park. It is not remote but is the closest to the clouds, so the cold weather lasts a few months longer throughout the year than in the lower mountain areas, and it even snows in the summer. It is not a deserted area since it witnesses a continuous stream of visitors all year round, and thus rangers find themselves walking on thin ice when performing fire prevention duties; at the highest altitude in central China, it is an uninhabited land and the core of the national park.

No one was found when we arrived at the center. What appeared in front of us was a row of bungalows and a stream. The water curved around the rocks, forming numerous icicles and pools hidden in two rows of dense crabapple trees.

The door of the center's kitchen was open with some potatoes and a few yellowed cabbages spreading across the floor. A few pickle pots and bottles with sour chili peppers and sauces stood out in the kitchen. The kitchen was divided into four small rooms, each about five or six square meters. A wood stove was in the center of the dining room, surrounded by a circle of short chairs. A tin pipe, over ten centimeters in diameter and folded at the right angle, was used to send smoke out of the house, which was the standard design in all centers. Rangers take turns cooking, and they eat around the stove. They take meals and chat like family, putting the dishes at the edge of the stovetop to keep them warm. On a low, old cupboard were some oranges and tea. On the opposite wall hung a cured pig's liver, a piece of cured pork covered with mold, and a pig's heart and lungs obtained a few days ago. Charcoal was still burning in the stove, and the room was fairly warm.

Since Xiao Chuanhua, the head of the center, led team members to patrol, they did not expect our sudden visit. After waiting for about half an hour, we heard the sound of hurried footsteps and stomping noises from outside. We realized their return. To prevent snow from falling into their shoes, they wore long rain boots, and some of them even wrapped several layers of cloth around their calves and feet.

I wondered why they patrolled on such a cold day. Chen said they would patrol all year round despite the scorching heat and bitter cold. Winter is especially the crucial season for rangers as animals will extend their range for hunting food, making them targets for desperate poachers. If they patrol regularly, rangers can prevent illegal poaching in time and remove the traps to protect the safety of wildlife.

In addition to patrolling, they also need to manage the passing tourists, publicize the national park protection laws and regulations, remind them one by one to prevent fire, frost, and skidding, and provide the necessary assistance promptly.

Chen is not tall but looks very healthy and vibrant. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes shone radiantly, probably due to her recent excursion. Out of professional habit, we asked her something about her family and life in the interview. When asked about her husband's occupation, she suddenly choked up with tears brimming in her eyes, but she swiftly suppressed her sadness. She calmly said: "He passed away three years ago." While we were apologizing profusely, we held her in considerable respect: she was an aspiring woman with a strong heart and a special understanding of her life. As a woman who has lived in the majestic mountains for a long time, she has kept her extraordinary exposure; her smile reflects her cheerful and sunny mind, seeming to depict her positive attitude toward life.

I have always respected these rangers in Shennongjia National Park. Whomever I interviewed, I always felt astonished and respectful to them. They all love their work, even to the point of obsession. Chen is one of these people, and she did not complain about the hard life here. "I'm fifty this year, but I can still work and manage to catch up with my male colleagues. Remote patrolling is definitely tiring, but my colleagues will wait for us and help us share some of the burden." Chen smiled.

Chen was very proud when we mentioned the "Female Party Members' Patrol Team at Shennongding". Although several senior members have retired, she and Yi are still preserving the team's ethics as active members.

I visited many centers in Shennongjia National Park, yet I rarely saw women constantly participating in field patrols. I personally feel that Chen and Yi should be the role models of Shennongjia National Park's patrol team.

Chen is particularly fond of the small team at Shennongding Management and Conservation Center, and she believes that her growth is closely related to the team, and her honor should also belong to it. She said: "Shennongding Management and Conservation Center is a warm family in which we are united and work positively. Pulling your weight is the motto of our team. Everyone has given me a lot of help and encouragement during my work. Each of our colleagues has their own specialties, and I have learned a lot from them."

Chen is an excellent ranger at work and also a reliable supporter to her family. Although her daughter has become independent, her parents and father-in-law are still alive. In addition to wiring them money on time every month, Chen will stay with them when she is on leave. She stated, "There are a lot of widows or widowers in Shennongjia National Park like me. Everyone is quietly committing themselves to their work. After I retire, I will return to my parents, spending the rest of my life with them so they can live their final moments peacefully." Chen added, "Although my husband has passed away, his father is still alive. I will take on his unfinished responsibilities, fulfilling his dying wish."

We did not know whether Chen would have the time or opportunity to fulfill her wishes after her retirement, but we were deeply moved by her honesty and courage and admired her.

"I think I don't have any health problems except a little rheumatism and joint pain. It's common for anyone who works as a national park ranger. I'm sure I can work until I retire." Chen answered with a heart full of fighting spirit and a firm voice. No difficulties can intimidate such a strong woman like her. Life is only once for everyone, but no matter where you are, your life will be given a special value and shine only through hard work.

"Our work is ordinary but valuable. It is my honor to guard the lucid waters and lush mountains. I know the role of Shennongjia as it produces tens of thousands of tons of oxygen every year. What's more, it has recorded hundreds of millions of years of geological changes on Earth and protected tens of thousands of species in our country." Chen responded when asked about her opinion of her work.

Chen was born in Tianmen, a city in Hubei Province, China. It is the hinterland of the Jianghan Plain, where the terrain is flat and mountainless. Hardly anyone would expect a girl born in the plains to end up spending her life working and living in the mountains. What is more admirable is the following facts. Chen has worked in several departments since she came to Shennongjia. At first, she worked in the Forestry Administration, providing training and logistic support. Then she went to a management center and became a ranger, measuring the mountains and valleys of Shennongjia with her feet. In 2016, the Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, a part of the Forestry Administration's territory, and the Wetland Park merged to set up the Shennongjia National Park. After that, she and dozens of other people became the guardians of the national park and continued patrolling the big mountains. Whether she was at Sanduihe, Wenshui, or Shennongding, she has been a main ranger of the centers. More than ten years have passed. Looking back on the past, this girl from the plains just could not remember how far she had traveled or her hardships. She only remembered that she was married to her job at Shennongjia, with her child starting her own family, and she soon may become a grandmother. As time goes by, she keeps moving onward, but never leaving Shennongjia, with reasons just as she stated: she has faith in her mind, falls in love with her job, and is fully aware of the significance of her career.

Xiao Chuanhua, the head of the center, said: "Chen is a remarkable woman, she is willing to dedicate her life to her work and can complete her tasks well. She sets herself numerous goals and is rigorous at work. In the Shennongding Agency of the Administration, female rangers have always been role models. They have inherited the spirit of hard work, and we should learn from them."

Beauty doesn't just appear out of the blue, nor do feats of greatness appear effortless. Only by experiencing countless hardships and tribulations of life can one become extraordinary. As International Women's Day is coming, I would like to take this opportunity to wish the female staff at the Shennongjia National Park a Happy Women's Day! (By He Sai, Bai Ning, Du Hua, and Zhang Can)