For decades, Qiu Changhong has made the mountains his home and the forests his constant companions. From the highest-altitude Houzishi Protection Station to the remote Dongxi Management Office at the edges of his jurisdiction, to the Yunpan Conservation Center located in an uninhabited area, he continues to stand guard at the frontlines of the Sanduihe Management & Conservation Center. Day after day, year after year, he measures these mountains and waters with his footsteps, dedicating his life to safeguarding this vast ocean of forests.
From the heights of the Shennong Peak (Shennongding), the Yinyu River Grand Canyon unfurls like a colossal sapphire, cradled within the majestic embrace of Shennongjia. Deep and mysterious, it radiates an enchanting luminescence. Sheer cliffs stretch endlessly along the canyon, while ravines and gullies twist and turn like giant dragons. This intricate and formidable landscape presents an almost insurmountable challenge for conservation efforts.
Nature and I coexist, and all things are one with me. It implies that man and nature form a community of life. Since ancient times, humanity has understood the interdependent relationship between nature and mankind. Humans are born in the embrace of nature and grow up with its breath.
In the daytime, she patrols in the deep mountain and valley; at night, she guards the dreamland of the mountain, listening to the nightingale's songs which echo around the valley.
On November 22, 2023, the weather was sunny. When returning to our place from the Yunpan Management and Conservation Center, we decided to go to the Shennongding Management and Conservation Center in the afternoon to experience the life in high mountains. The Shennongding Center is the highest conservation center in the Shennongjia National Park, where Xiao Chuanhua, Shennongjia’s first winner of the “Green Guard” award of the Chinese Biosphere Reserves Network (CBRN), was trained. The center is in charge of the core area of the Shennongjia National Park, and its team is in the front line and is the home of an elite group of rangers.