From poacher to gamekeeper

Zhang Houyi, 71, the former leader of a bird-hunting team in Yueyang city, described the early decades of his life as a time of "playing against nature". He grew up near Dongting Lake, where a large number of migratory birds spend their winter.

His last hunt was in 1979. In the 1980s, the local forestry department implemented a national protection plan for wild birds and disbanded the State-run hunting teams. Many wetlands were subsequently listed as nature reserves to provide a better habitat for wildlife.

When the East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve was established in 1982, Zhang was invited to work as a bird protector, because of his great experience and deep knowledge of the area's local fauna.