Expat photographers, vloggersvisit South China Tigers in Shaoguan

A group photo of all the exapt participants at the entrance of the Shaoguan Urban Planning Exhibition Hall in Shaoguan on May 21.                                                                                                                                                                                                  Photos by Liu Xudong

Leaving the hustle and bustle of Shenzhen on Saturday morning, a group of 23 expats and their families, most of whom are wildlife photographers and vloggers, arrived in the city of Shaoguan in northern Guangdong after a four-hour coach journey, and started a two-day trip during which they embraced nature and visited the South China Tigers to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity, which falls on May 22 every year.

At 8:30 a.m. yesterday, the group headed to the much-anticipated South China Tiger Breeding and Research Base to get up close with and know more about the critically endangered tiger species.

Despite the heavy rains, the group’s excitement remained unabated when they were first greeted by a 6-year-old male tiger named Xiaoman. They showcased their photography skills to capture the majestic animal’s best moves.

At the tiger kindergarten, children and adults were delighted by the adorable and playful 5-month-old twin tigers, Lianhua and Furong, who were born on New Year’s Eve.

They also closely admired the fast and powerful movements of the twins’ sisters, Yuanyuan and Qingqing.

Ashley Main (L) from the U.K. and Chakraborty Chiranjib from India take photos of a tiger at the tiger kindergarten in the South China Tiger Breeding and Research Base in Shaoguan yesterday, which is the International Day for Biological Diversity. Liu Xudong

Colombian biologist Isaac Cohen told Shenzhen Daily that it was meaningful and educational to visit the tigers with his daughter on the International Day for Biological Diversity. “The South China Tigers are very special species that most people don’t know, so it’s important to teach them about their existence and raise their awareness on the protection and conservation of the animals,” he said while reminding his daughter to watch the wild animals’ behavior from a safe distance.

Sushil Asar from India, a consultant at IBM’s Shenzhen office, praised the local government for doing a good job in their tiger conservation work and said he would bring his children to visit the base and introduce them to the tigers.

At the base, the expats also gave the tigers English names and joined the twins’ online adoption.

Through the online adoption system, expats will be kept updated with the tigers’ latest photos and conditions, which they can share on their social media to bring more attention to the species. 

Nishant Vijay Radke, an eye doctor from India, named the twins “Victory” and “Line” to express his best wishes. “Together they make the name ‘Victory line’ like in a race where you cross the victory line to win! I wish the South China Tigers to cross the victory line and never feel or stay threatened in their wild habitat,” he told Shenzhen Daily.

Matteo Convertino, an Italian ecosystem scientist and engineer, and an associate professor at the Institute of Environment & Ecology of Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, joined the online adoption. He believed it serves as a great opportunity to spread the message about the importance of conserving the species and its habitat. “Iconic species like tigers can be the vehicle to catch people’s attention and communicate strong messages to protect the species,” he said, adding that he will also share the tigers’ information on his research website to raise more people’s awareness.

The group was comprised of people from 10 different countries, namely the U.S., the U.K., India, Japan, Russia, Italy, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia and the Czech Republic.

Shaoguan is a prefecture-level city bordering Hunan Province to the northwest and Jiangxi Province to the northeast and is about 323 kilometers away from Shenzhen. It takes around one hour and 40 minutes to travel by high-speed trains between the two cities.

The event was jointly organized by Ping An Group and Shenzhen Daily, and the trip’s itinerary was planned by the Publicity Department of the Shaoguan Municipal Committee of the CPC.

After a late lunch Saturday afternoon, the group started their trip with a visit to the Shaoguan Urban Planning Exhibition Hall where they got a general picture of the city’s history, modern development, abundant tourism resources and more through a guided interpretive tour and a promotional video.

Asar said although it was his first time to visit Shaoguan, he was impressed by the pictures showing Shaoguan’s sublime landscape and splendid history and culture, and said that he would come back to explore more. “Shaoguan is very beautiful and well-planned. The city has all kinds of things like its history and the future. My friends and I have made up our minds to visit Danxia Mountain next time to take pictures,” he said.

With the city’s basic information in mind, the expats went outdoors to the newly built Shaozhou Park where they walked around to fully embrace the greenery and enjoy the city’s tranquility. At the park, the expats also visited an orchid exhibition, during which they learned about different varieties of orchids, Shaoguan’s city flower, and their blooming seasons, and they also unexpectedly watched a livestreaming promotion of potted orchids.

The trip’s first day wrapped up with a relaxing stroll along the Wujiang River and a brief visit to City Box, a riverside exhibition hall showcasing the local government’s efforts fighting against COVID-19.