"Gathering Strength from Role Models, Illuminating with Exemplary Glory" — Advanced Figures of Shennongjia National Park (Part V)

Jiang Huazhen: Three Decades of Dedication — From Green Novice to Ecological Guardian

In 1995, 19-year-old Jiang Huazhen first stepped into the Shennongjia Nature Reserve. Living in wooden plank houses, hiking deep into the mountains, cooking over an open flame — she went from clumsy apprentice to capable protector. The sealed specimens she made in 2012 remain perfectly preserved after ten years, hailed as “technically superb.” Today, the 21,232 mu (about 1,415 hectares) of forest she patrols bears the imprint of her steadfast footsteps. Over thirty years, this second-generation forest worker has turned youth into story. “In Shennongjia,” she says, “every moment is a blessing, and every inch of time is filled with contentment.”

Beginnings in the Deep Mountains: From Wanting to Flee to Taking Root

Assigned to the Xiaolongtan area in 1995, Jiang held positions in the Xiaolongtan Scenic Area, the Great Nature Tourism Company, and the Guanmenshan Ecological Museum. 

In late autumn that year, a slim young girl appeared on the rugged mountain road from Yazikou to Xiaolongtan. She walked the trail daily between her workplace and a humble wooden plank house. Upstairs were bedrooms, downstairs the living room and the kitchen — with a trivet as the main cooking tool. Struggling even to light a fire, she often stumbled through the simplest tasks. “At first, I just wanted to run away,” she recalls with a laugh. But her father’s legacy gave her strength — a demobilized soldier who joined Shennongjia’s early development in 1963. Tenacity was in her blood. 

Gradually, the mountains became her classroom. She learned by doing, eventually excelling in many roles.

In 1998, she was transferred to the Great Nature Tourism Company, taking on roles as tour guide, interpreter, and entry supervisor — performing each with dedication. 

Later, as the reserve planned to build a specimen museum, Jiang was selected as a preparator. Under Professor Pan Mingqing of Wuhan University, she traversed mountains collecting over 1,000 plant species and honed her specimen-making skills. In 2012, among four apprentices, her sealed specimens stood out for its “precision in sealing and perfect detail.” “She always said, ‘It feels better to do it one more time,’” noted senior specimen expert Jiang Zhiguo. After the museum was completed, she also assisted with exhibition design and interpretation work.

Between Family and Career: Her Life in Balance

Jiang Huazhen’s story may not be epic, but it flows like a mountain stream — quietly persistent. 

“For Shennongjia people, hardship is the norm — but sweetness lies within,” she says. Behind that sweetness is a burden few can imagine: tending to her ailing mother for 13 years, raising a young child, and managing 21,232 mu of forest — all without pause. 

In 2016, as the pilot Shennongjia National Park was established, Jiang was assigned to the Muyu Agency of the Administrative to work in the operation department. Shifting from specimen work to ecological protection, she faced a whole new field. Yet she embraced the challenge — drafting assessment protocols, setting forest monitoring points, establishing plots, conducting surveys — she left nothing undone. 

In 2023, she volunteered to transfer to the Sanduihe Management & Conservation Center to work on the frontlines. “Specimens preserve life in stillness; forests are our living home,” she says.

Her daily routine involves field patrols and community education. On patrol, leeches crawling into her trousers, falling into mud pits, and enduring steep trails, slippery moss, or sudden downpours are all routine. From Daliangzi to Qingyandong and Huoshaoyazi, she traverses six forest compartments, meticulously recording every ecological change. During fire prevention season, she stands night watch and has repeatedly been honored as an “Outstanding Individual in Fire Prevention.” 

“With her around, I don’t have to worry about internal affairs. Our center is fully confident in passing any evaluation,” says Qiu Changhong, head of the Sanduihe Center. Stacks of well-organized documents speak to Jiang’s diligent work outside her patrol duties.

Legacy and Watchfulness: A Family’s Bond with Shennongjia Across Generations

I first met Jiang Huazhen in 2019. At the time, I worked with her sister Jiang Min at the Shennongding Agency of the Administration. I vividly remember her arriving with a large bundle of supplies to visit her sister. Her smiling eyes and silver-bell laughter left a lasting impression. 

As I later learned, her father and all three siblings have dedicated their lives to these mountains. From her father’s pioneering days to the children's rooted commitment, the Jiang family’s bond with Shennongjia has lasted for over half a century. 

That earlier generation built roads and bridges, logged and transported materials, supporting the area’s early development. After Shennongjia became a nature reserve in 1982, her father laid down his chainsaw and joined reforestation efforts. Using handcarts to transport seedlings, he planted firs and pines on barren slopes, his sweat soaking through faded workwear. Today, at Shennongjia’s Laojun Mountain, the towering fir trees planted by that generation stand like silent sentinels. Pointing toward the forested sea, Jiang recalls those years with pride. 

She says, as a second-generation forester, “It’s not just about what we’ve given, but what the mountains have given us — a stable home and a happy life.”

In just a few months, Jiang Huazhen will retire. Her eyes reveal the reluctance to part. As she says, though her family has traveled far and wide, the best feeling always comes from Shennongjia. 

In the Guanmenshan Ecology Museum, her specimens offer visitors a first glimpse of the park; in her patrol logs, she records the joy of “new shoots sprouting on ancient trees by Sandui River.” 

“She’s tasted every flavor — bitter and sweet, sour and spicy — but it’s all been worth it.” Now nearly 50, Jiang still patrols the mountains every day. As the sun sets, she stands on the ridgeline at Qingyandong, looking into the distance — and it’s as if the young girl fumbling to light a fire decades ago has returned to stand beside her.

In Shennongjia, guardians like Jiang Huazhen are not rare. They spend their lives embodying the meaning of steadfastness. The growth rings of the trees carry their youth, and their stories will forever be the most vivid annotation to this natural wonderland.