The Paper's reporter Diao Fanchao
Invited by the Qinghai Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment to share with the media, Ge Yuxiu came to the conference room early to wait. He sat quietly in the corner at the back of the conference room, holding a briefcase containing the wildlife cards he had prepared for everyone. These photographs of endangered wildlife printed on cards he took were "souvenirs" he carried with him wherever he went, and he distributed them to every listener, opening his sharing in curiosity about these animals.
Ge Yuxiu was hired by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment as a special observer, and the picture shows Ge Yuxiu taking a group photo with the ecological environmental protection mascot "Xiaoshan" and "Xiaoshui" Interviewee Courtesy photo
Under the computer projection, a series of images of endangered wild animals that are flying, running or preying are displayed in front of everyone, and he passionately shares the story of the protection of wild animals in Qinghai, and it is difficult to imagine that the sharer in front of him is a 68-year-old man with a flower armor.
In the 26 years since 1995, Ge Yuxiu has used the lens to record the changes in the wildlife and their living environment in Qinghai. He has visited Qinghai Lake more than 250 times, visited Sanjiangyuan 23 times, gone deep into the no-man's land of Coco Xili 14 times, taken more than 100,000 photos of various animals, written more than 150 articles reflecting wild animals and living environments, and conducted more than 560 public welfare speeches on "focusing on wild animals and paying attention to the ecological environment" throughout the country.
Ge Yuxiu is the "Green China Person of the Year 2010-2011" and was hired as a special observer by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment this year. He said: "Wild animals are the weather vane of the ecological environment, wild animals are the products of nature, and the natural world is an organic whole composed of many complex ecosystems. If the ecological environment is not good, the wild animals will be reduced, and if the ecological environment is good, the wild animals will increase. ”
Got acquainted with photography
This year marks Ge Yuxiu's 51st year in Qinghai and his 48th year of joining the Communist Party of China. He enlisted in Qinghai in 1970 from Cao County, Shandong Province, and served in the Qinghai Provincial Military Region for 24 years. His initial exposure to photography began in 1978, the 8th year of his military career, and due to his outstanding performance in the army, Ge Yuxiu was gradually promoted from an ordinary soldier to a company instructor, which gave him the opportunity to contact the camera and begin to take photos reflecting the life of the troops.
In the summer of 1979, when the company issued a blackboard newspaper, several soldiers were attracted by the pages of the blackboard newspaper, looking around at the discussion, with different looks, Ge Yuxiu pressed the shutter to throw this photo reflecting the military life to the "Qinghai Daily", but he did not expect that the photo was adopted, which greatly encouraged Ge Yuxiu.
After retiring from the army, Ge Yuxiu used his spare time to continue to devote himself to photography. In 1995, when he first set foot on Bird Island in Qinghai Lake, he was struck by the sight of thousands of birds singing under the clear water and blue sky, where more than 100,000 migratory birds inhabited the bird island of less than 0.5 square kilometers. He was immediately fascinated by this kingdom of birds, and since then, Ge Yuxiu, who has "debuted" in filming, began to focus on wildlife photography.
Ge Yuxiu, a bird perched on the shore of Qinghai Lake
During the filming observation, Ge Yuxiu tried to understand the emotional world of the birds, and while showing the photos he took to the surging news (www.thepaper.cn) reporter, he explained: the brown-headed gulls flew with each other like shadows; the spotted geese pecked down the fluff, cushioned in the nest to maintain the incubation temperature, and guarded the chicks from breaking out of the shell; the cormorants stored the semi-digested food in the sac under the throat, and let the chicks reach into the head to swallow...
In 2002, he led the establishment of Qinghai Qing, the first ecological non-governmental website in Qinghai Province, to let people understand and care for wild animals, pass on the concept of environmental protection, and protect nature with images. Ge Yuxiu's behavior of recognizing birds, loving birds and protecting birds has been affirmed by the media and society, and the media praised him as the "Bird King of Qinghai Lake", and the Qinghai Lake Nature Reserve Management Bureau invited him to be a special expert.
Become the spokesperson of the Chinese diagonal antelope
In late November 1997, on his way to Qinghai Lake to shoot, Ge Yuxiu encountered seven yellow-brown sheep-like animals at the mouth of the Buha River, running in a line on the grassland.
"Teacher Ge, Przewalski's Gazelle!" The cadres of the Qinghai Lake Conservation Area who were accompanying them shouted loudly. Ge Yuxiu hurriedly raised his camera to capture it, and after experts determined that it was this photo that filled the blank of the "Przewalski's gazelle" picture, Ge Yuxiu became the first person in China to photograph the Przewalski's gazelle.
Photo by Ge Yuxiu, Przewalski's gazelle on the shores of Qinghai Lake
At that time, fewer than 300 Przewalski's gazelles remained, a critically endangered species that was even rarer than giant pandas. The excitement of photographing the Przewalski's gazelle also made Ge Yuxiu determined to save this critically endangered species. Since then, he has embarked on a long journey of environmental protection.
Ge Yuxiu observed and photographed the "Przewalski's Gazelle" for a long time, consulted the data, and followed up the research. From visiting herders on the shores of Qinghai Lake to consulting experts in scientific research institutes, understanding the living habits, activity laws and distribution of "Przewalski's Gazelle", and systematically grasping the past and present lives of the species. Ge Yuxiu took advantage of the opportunity of meetings and business trips to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Forestry more than ten times to consult experts and scholars in the field of Przewalski's gazelle, reflect the situation, put forward conservation opinions and suggestions, and at the same time, he also participated in the field investigation of the species by Chinese and foreign experts.
In his tracking studies, Ge Yuxiu learned that the "Przewalski's Gazelle" was named after the first discovery by the Tsarist naturalist Prgerwalski in 1875. However, Prgerwalski was also a professional intelligence officer, disguised as an expeditionary team, came to China four times in succession, not only stole a large amount of political, economic, and cultural information, drew a road map for attacking China, wantonly plundered China's Western Xia cultural relics and animal specimens, and brutally killed 40 Tibetan compatriots.
"The Chinese species, calling the names of foreigners who have sinned against China, are not even known to the locals, which is a kind of national sadness." Ge Yuxiu believes that driven by patriotic feelings, considering that the Przewalski's gazelle is unique to China, and its male has a pair of black ring-shaped horns that are different from other antelopes and curved in opposite directions, and consulted relevant experts, and in August 2004, he wrote an article calling for a Chinese name - "Chinese diagonal antelope".
Since 2006, Ge Yuxiu has successively issued 8 decision-making references to the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee and the Qinghai Provincial Government, including "Establishing the Exclusive Protected Area of the Chinese Diagonal Antelope", "Designating the Chinese Diagonal Antelope as the Mascot of the International Road Cycling Race Around Qinghai Lake", and "On Strengthening the Publicity, Protection and Utilization of the Chinese Diagonal Antelope". He also reported the situation to the leaders of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial Government, and the Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on many occasions, and reflected the situation again and again to the forestry, environmental protection, tourism and other organs and departments and the media.
Ge Yuxiu said: "Ecological civilization is an important symbol of the progress of human society, and wild animals are the indicators of the ecological environment, especially the protection of rare wild animals should be placed in a prominent position." The Chinese diagonal antelope should be one of the symbols of animal diversity in Qinghai. ”
Under ge Yuxiu's full appeal, in 2006, the Organizing Committee of the Fifth Qinghai Lake International Bicycle Race adopted Ge Yuxiu's suggestion to identify the Chinese diagonal antelope as the mascot of the "Circumnavigated Lake Race" and made it into a cartoon "Duoji" image, which expanded the influence of the Chinese diagonal antelope in the world; the first "Chinese Diagonal Antelope Special Protection Zone" was established in Gangcha County on the north shore of Qinghai Lake in December 2007; on September 17, 2009, the first "Chinese Diagonal Antelope Protection Station" was established in Hargai Town, Gangcha County.
Speak up for ecological environmental protection
Today, the world's endangered Przewalski's gazelle (Chinese diagonal antelope), the population has been greatly restored. The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) learned from the Qinghai Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment that there were only 300 Przewalski's hartebeests left in the 1990s, and after years of protection, the number has exceeded 2,000.
Xing Heshun, who has been photographing the Chinese diagonal antelope with Ge Yuxiu for many years, said: "He really sees wild animals as his own children, and because of this, wild animals are not only a part of Ge's life, but also a part of his life." Today, with the help of many enthusiastic people who care about and love the Chinese diagonal antelope, the number of this endangered species is gradually increasing, and it is getting rid of the danger of extinction, and we should remember that there is an old man who has been accompanying them. ”
Because of Ge Yuxiu's contribution to the rescue and protection of the Chinese diagonal antelope, he was hired by the Gangcha County Government as the "Honorary Station Manager of the Chinese Diagonal Antelope Conservation Station" in December 2009; in July 2016, the Qinghai Wildlife Conservation Association hired him as a "senior member and spokesperson of the Chinese diagonal antelope", and was elected as a director of the China Wildlife Conservation Association; and was named "Green China 2010-2011 Person of the Year" by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and other departments. On the day of this year's "June 5th Environment Day", he was hired by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment as a special observer.
Through the knowledge and protection of an endangered species, Ge Yuxiu realized that all wild animals need to be cared for and protected. From watching over a kind of wild animal, to watching all the wild animals on the Qinghai Plateau, doing what he can, driving the people around him through himself, and arousing people's attention and attention to the entire ecological and environmental protection, Ge Yuxiu said that this is what he has spent his life doing.
On the shores of Qinghai Lake in June, the spawning spectacle of "half a pond of clear water and half a pond of fish" is being staged, and the endangered species of Przewalski's hartebeest that only remains around Qinghai Lake is also inhabiting here.
"After a few years, I can't walk, I can't shoot, even if I sit on the couch, I will enjoy the beauty of the beach, even if I lie in bed, I can feel the vastness of the grassland." 」 Those beautiful memories, those wonderful memories, will become the distant meditations of my life. Ge Yuxiu said.
Editor-in-Charge: Yuhao Zhong