Shooting for Protection China’s Wildlife Photographer Xi Zhinong

When U.S. President Bill Clinton visited China in 1998， one gift he received was a photo of a Yunnan snub-nosed monkey family： a baby in the arms of her mother， peering at the lens innocently.

The photo was taken by Xi Zhinong， the most famous wildlife photographer in China. A native of Yunnan Province， Xi began photographing wildlife in the late 1980s. He was the first Chinese person to win Wildlife Photographer of the Year at the Gerald Durrell Awards for Endangered Wildlife and the TVE Award at the British WildScreen Festival.

George Schaller， a famous American wildlife photographer， worked with Xi in the wild. In the foreword for Xi’s photo book， Wild China， Schaller highly praised Xi’s stunning images， and asserted that they will improve understanding of many species and accelerate conservation efforts.

“Watershed for Chinese Awareness of Environmental Protection”

Over two decades have passed since Xi Zhinong committed himself to photographing wildlife. “I don’t remember how many photos I’ve taken，” grinned Xi. “But one thing I know for sure： My camera has drawn me intimately close to two species， Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys and Tibetan antelopes. We’ve changed each other’s fates.”

Xi Zhinong began working at the Yunnan Provincial Forestry Bureau in 1992， just as the Kunming Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched a research project on Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys. Xi joined the research group in November of that year to take photos on the mountain. His first trip ended fruitlessly. Despite combing vast tracts of virgin forests， mostly above 4，000 meters high， Xi didn’t take a single photo of a monkey in over a month.

He returned to the mountain with his partner in September 1993， hunting in areas he guessed the monkeys would like. One day， he came across fresh monkey droppings. “It was real， black， sparkling excrement！” recalled Xi. “I couldn’t help dropping to the ground to inspect it thoroughly， admiring it like a work of art. I scanned the ground across the rocks and up to the surrounding trees. Monkey droppings were everywhere. Some were still hot and steaming. I was sure monkeys had just been there.”

Xi and his partner rushed up the hillside， climbing 400 meters in only 20 minutes. Through the branches， he spotted a big male monkey sitting in a fir on the opposite slope， nibbling on lichens with ease as two females snuggled up to his side， babies in arms.

Sparing not an instant to wipe the tears from his eyes， Xi snatched his camera and began firing away. “It’s been two years！”he thought to himself.

In May 1995， Xi Zhinong learned that the local government， plagued by financial troubles， decided to chop down 100 square kilometers of virgin forest in the Baima （White Horse） Snow Mountain Nature Reserve – home to the monkey as well as various other rare species of animals and plants.

Stunned， Xi sprinted around in circles to mobilize as many hands as he could to help protect the forest. Ultimately， he thwarted the chopping plan， but did so at the cost of losing his position in the forestry bureau.

In 1996， Newsweek reported his story， praising his actions as a watershed moment for Chinese awareness of environmental protection.

Protection by Seeing

It has been centuries since shahtooshes were en vogue in the West. The major material for the shawls came from Tibetan antelope fur， which was dubbed “naturally deciduous” by merchants seeking big paydays for the exotic softness. Not until the late 1980s did George Schaller reveal to the public that the shahtoosh’s delicate fabric was procured through brutal hunting， which specifically resulted in a dramatic drop in the population of Tibetan antelopes.

After bouncing around various media outlets， Xi eventually decided to work freelance. In December 1997， he was invited to visit Hoh Xil and join Wild Yak Team. He shocked China and the world with photos he captured in the freezing cold： tall piles of furs， vacant stares of dead antelope eyes， bullet holes in flesh， and bloody severed heads. His photos sparked nationwide campaigns to protect Tibetan antelopes. Some photos of skinned antelope carcasses were published in a foreign magazine with the caption，“Three to five antelope’s lives pay for a shahtoosh.”

Today， the population of Tibetan antelopes has stabilized thanks to efforts by people across all walks of life. None of it would have happened without visual images of the animals for the public to embrace.

“All of the animals – Tibetan antelopes and wild yaks from Hoh Xil， Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys from White Horse Snow Mountain， pandas deep in Qinling Mountain Range – gave me a chance， more or less， to capture their moments of terror， curiosity， peace， and tranquility，” illustrated Xi. “In their eyes， I saw my own reflection and the selfishness and greed of humankind. I saw the depth of our naiveté about nature from these animals.”

In 2002， Xi and his wife established a studio， Wild China Film， aiming to protect nature through images， primarily focusing on wild animals in China. After toiling away alone for many years， he eventually realized that his goals would never be achieved without joint efforts from many. He thus established Chinese Wildlife Photography Training Camp in 2004， which offers photography training programs for patrols of nature reserves throughout the country， in hopes of inspiring others to observe their environments from new angles.

Xi Zhinong and his wife were invited to speak at the British Royal Geographical Society’s 2008 Wild Photos event， the first such appearance by a photographer from China. In 2012， Xi， along with several young Chinese photographers， attended Wild Photos again. Pictures of a bear farm in China taken by a British photographer chilled everyone in attendance. Xi thanked the British photographer for his concern for animal protection in China， and provided balance with his own shots of wild animals， which docu- mented efforts by many to protect the beauty of nature.

To shed even greater light on this modern hero， China Pictorial recently interviewed Xi Zhinong.

CP ： What are your thoughts about the many endangered species in China that still haven’t been photographed？ How is Wild China Film’s “Endangered Species Image Project” progressing？

Xi ： We all know that the Chinese river dolphin is already gone. Unfortunately， no pictures were taken when the Yangtze River was still clear. We still lack images of many amphibians and reptiles on the verge of extinction. These two classes have attracted the least attention because they are small in number and dependent on tiny， unique eco-environments. Many species could become endangered before they are even discovered and named. Our campaign is committed to taking as many photos as possible， to arouse systematic， enduring， and constant concern for every species in need.

CP ： The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， as well as regions around the source of the Yangtze， Yellow， and Lancang Rivers， are home to myriad species of wildlife. Has human activity， including industrialization and urbanization， threatened the survival of wildlife？

Xi ： Yes， of course. Many wild animals are struggling to find a place amongst the concrete of urban areas. Images are the best force capable of moving people to protect the few natural， wild ani-mals teetering on urban fringes and in the cracks of concrete walls. I advocate everyone photographing local wild animals， so that local residents can better understand the species and take an active part in protection. For example， birdwatchers in Xiamen， Fujian Province， captured images of Purple Swamphens， which were thought to have disappeared there a century ago. Locals thus pushed to stop development over wetlands for the sake of the rare birds. The local government has responded and offered compromises.

CP ： Why do people think it’s more difficult to capture pictures of wild animals in China？ After your 20 years of experience， do you think the situation will improve？

Xi ： China doesn’t have too many large mammals， which are highly sensitive to man’s presence. Moreover， China’s wildlife photography isn’t yet mature， making good photographs of wild animals rarer.

However， things are getting better in some places. More protection zones have been established. Logging in more forests has been banned. Nature is back. Many species of wild animals are recovering. Nevertheless， we are still a long way from optimistic in terms of the big picture.

We need greater efforts to refresh old attitudes and ideas about nature. The relevant systems and mechanisms have yet to be adjusted to adequately regulate commercial logging， development， and hunting.

CP ： What’s the biggest difference between China and other countries in terms of wildlife photography？

Xi ： Many older Chinese people first learned about many wild animals from a TV documentary， Wild Life， filmed by a top international crew 30 years ago when China was not ready to photograph wild animals. They saw emperor penguins in Antarctica and witnessed gnu migration in Africa， but were left with little knowledge about their local wildlife.

In many countries， wildlife photographers hold biology Ph.Ds， or at least some biology education. Wildlife photography is a sustainable， long-term profession that requires high specialization， professionalism， systemization， industrialization， and socialization. Photographers can make a living. Nevertheless， the trade has not yet gained traction in China. I do hope that Wild China Film can contribute to the progress of wildlife photography in China.