Shooting for Protection China’s Wildlife Photographer Xi Zhinong.docVIP

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 Xis photo book， Wild China， Schaller highly praised Xis 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. Weve 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 didnt 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 couldnt help drop