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Guarding the Roof of Central China Wilderness Zone

Updated：2023-09-05  Source：Hubei Daily

Starting a fire, cooking, packing up... At 5:00AM on August 29th, Liu Bing, the head of the Yinyuhe Conservation & Management Center in Shennongjia National Park, rose early and prepared for the day's field patrol.
At the same time, five reporters from the Hubei Daily, located 60 kilometres away, in Muyu Town, set out with a plan. They were going to meet up with Liu Bing and do a patrol together.
Accompanying them was Du Hua, head of the Publicity & Education Department of the Administration of Shennongjia National Park. Du introduced the Shennongjia National Park, a reserve that covers an area of 1,170 square kilometers and is managed by 18 conservation & management centers under 4 agencies of the Administration. Each conservation & management center has approximately 4 to 6 personnel responsible for patrolling their respective areas. Their patrol duties include surveys of wildlife and plants, disease and pest control, and eliminating fire hazards.
The pickup truck continued uphill, and the early morning stars and moon became brighter. After passing the Yousongping Checkpoint, the gravel road roughened and several times it seemed like there was no road ahead but, each time the vehicle rounded a bend, a small path would suddenly appear.
Liu Bing and the rangers, Pei Shijun and Deng Chao, were already well-prepared for their arrival at the Yinyuhe Conservation & Management Center. Each of them carried a backpack about one meter tall, weighing around 30 kilograms.
On August 29th, Liu Bing (center) led the rangers on a patrol in the uninhabited area.
The reporter observed that the backpacks contained tents, clothing, medicines, food, and more.
“There are often venemous snakes, leeches, and ticks in the mountains, so we have to have all the necessary medicines and take precautions,” Liu Bing said. “It’s possible that we may not return on schedule, so we need tents.” Liu Bing went on to mention that their backpacks could weigh up to 50 kilograms.
The Yinyuhe Center oversees an area of approximately 150,000 mu (about 10,000 hectares), the largest uninhabited area in Shennongjia. At the top of this area is the highest peak in Central China, Shennong Peak, and at the bottom flows the rushing Yinyu River, with an elevation difference of over 1,500 meters.
The complex terrain here has created vertical vegetation zones, encompassing alpine meadows, coniferous forests, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, and low-altitude broad-leaved forests, making it the most biodiverse region in Shennongjia.
Their plan was to first follow the Bancang River downstream to the Yinyu River, and then patrol upstream along the Yinyu River.
On August 29th, ranger Pei Shijun leaped over the turbulent river valley.
Rangers waded through the rushing waters of the Yinyu River.
The path ahead gradually narrowed from over a meter wide to being overgrown with thick vegetation and, reaching the mouth of the Yinyu River, they found there was no way to proceed. Soaked with sweat, the group took a brief rest on the riverbank. As they did, Liu Bing and his team shared their patrol stories:
Their most dangerous experience: In July 2021, during a patrol, they encountered heavy rain, and the rapidly rising river water trapped them on the opposite bank. They had no cellphone signal, three of them caught colds from the rain, and they ran out of medicine. They resorted to boiling tree leaves in saltwater to ease their hunger. Originally scheduled for a 6-day patrol, they were stranded for 13 days before returning.
The most fortunate moment: In August of this year, while patrolling, Liu Bing and his team encountered a black bear. Just as they were using a remote patrol terminal (PDA) to record pictures and coordinates, the bear noticed them and began approaching slowly. The situation became extremely dangerous and only ended when the bear finally stopped seven to eight meters away from the team members. They breathed a sigh of relief only after the bear turned and walked away.
The biggest regret: Liu Bing has been working for 28 years in remote management centers, and he can only go home for a maximum of four days per month. In 2019, his father fell seriously ill, but it was a critical period for shutting down small hydroelectric plants. He finished his work and rushed back home, only to find that his father had already passed away, leaving him without any parting words.
The most heartening progress: Over the years, residents’ awareness of ecological conservation has grown, and incidents of poaching, illegal resource extraction, illegal logging, and unauthorized entry into uninhabited areas have become almost non-existent.
On August 30th, tree stumps left from past logging were covered with moss and mushrooms, while a new forest flourished nearby.
Setting out again, Deng Chao sprayed alcohol on our legs. “There are many leeches in the jungle, and wounds from their bloodsucking can take a month to heal,” he said. Conditions in the mountains are unpredictable, and team members often experience sprained ankles, injuries from falls, and insect bites. Last month, Liu Bing was stung by two wasps and his eye was swollen for a week.
Liu Bing walked while tapping with a probing rod, and we followed slowly behind. Suddenly, Liu Bing stopped and made a “shh” sound.
Everyone looked up and, following the direction pointed by Liu Bing's hand, observed a “big goat” on the other side of the bushes. The “big goat” had most of its body obscured by leaves and was looking around.
“It's a serow,” Liu Bing whispered, approaching quietly and preparing to take a photo with the PDA. However, before he could get to the ideal spot, the serow turned its head and disappeared into the forest.
After this incident, our tired bodies were revitalized, though we weren’t to see any more“interesting” animals.
In the primeval forests of Shennongjia, ancient trees tower above.
After another three hours of walking, we had only advanced three kilometers into the jungle. During this time, we spotted several rare plants, including the dove tree (Davidia involucrata) and Dipteronia sinensis Oliv.. Liu Bing and the team recorded each of them on the PDA.
Du Hua explained that field patrols are not just random walks in the woods; there are designated waypoints, and discoveries of wildlife and plants must be documented on route. Currently, Shennongjia National Park has over 900 primary and secondary patrol routes, and their Technical Regulations of Shennongjia National Park on Field Patrol and Technical Standards of Shennongjia National Park on Biological Monitoring have been designated as provincial standards.
On August 29th, after several hours of arduous trekking, ranger Deng Chao rested on a pile of rocks by the river.
Around 2 PM on August 29th, the patrol officers made a fire by a rock to prepare lunch.
The journey back was arduous and it was already around 7PM when they returned. Liu Bing and his team had circles of white sweat stains on their backs. The reporters deeply felt that it was with their own feet and sweat that they were guarding this green treasure trove on the Roof of Central China.   (Text/Photos by Zhou Lixin, Liu Hanze, Xue Ting, Ma Yalun)
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