Retired school principal saves tiny zoo from extinction

On-the-job training

Feng never planned to become a zoo director, instead choosing a career in the education sector.

In 1977, the year China reinstated the gaokao national college entrance examination, Feng was admitted to a teachers' college. After graduation, he started teaching in a rural area and later rose to the position of school principal before joining the education department as a physics education researcher.

In 2016, his younger brother asked him to help at Kaili Zoo, which was struggling financially and needed someone to manage it. What was meant to be a temporary arrangement became a permanent commitment. "Once I came, I never left," Feng said.

Many of the zoo animals were rescued or donated. Feng said he came to see each one as part of his family.

"They are just like my own children," he said, explaining every animal had its own story and refusing to say which one he loved the most.

Before becoming a viral attraction, Kaili Zoo endured long periods of hardship. For years, it survived not because it was profitable, but because of Feng's persistence.

The zoo originally operated alongside an amusement park. But when the park went into decline and closed, the zoo lost its main source of visitors.

During the hardest period, nearby construction work cut off the road near the zoo, leaving visitors unable to reach it.

At one stage, even feeding the animals became a challenge. Feng began growing vegetables to cut costs. "I thought about giving up. But what would happen to these animals?" he said.

Using a hoe, Feng cleared mountain paths and made directional signs to help visitors find their way. One read: "The zoo is 150 meters ahead along the mountain path. Brave children will receive a free portion of food to feed the animals."

Kaili Zoo began attracting wider attention almost by accident.

A visitor came to the zoo one day and saw Feng preparing food for the animals. She asked whether she could film him caring for them.

Feng agreed and told her that if she helped promote the zoo, she could feed the animals.

Soon, more visitors began sharing their experiences online. One tourist from Shanghai suggested that Feng try promoting the zoo on Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, a popular Chinese lifestyle-sharing platform. Feng had never heard of the platform and thought it was the name of a book.

There was no marketing team and no commercial strategy. His only form of promotion was letting visitors see how he cared for the animals every day.

That authenticity eventually won people over.

Since October last year, short videos have turned Kaili Zoo into an internet sensation. At its peak, more than 10,000 visitors went to the tiny zoo in a single day.

For an attraction that once struggled with only a handful of visitors, the sudden surge in popularity became a major challenge. Lines stretched from the zoo entrance all the way down the hillside.

"How could a zoo this small handle more than 10,000 people? Where could they even stand?" Feng recalled.

For years, he had worried about having too few visitors. Then suddenly, he had to worry about having too many.

After the zoo went viral, local authorities helped improve roads, manage crowds and upgrade basic facilities.

Previously, the narrow mountain road leading to the zoo was difficult to access. Local urban management officials worked around the clock for two days to build a safer hillside path.

"At that time, there were simply too many people. The first priority was safety, and the second was making sure visitors had a better experience," said Yang Guanglei, an official with the local urban management department.

Sanitation workers also joined the effort.

"We sent more workers to help clean the zoo in the mornings," Yang said. "It would have been too difficult for Feng to handle everything alone. We also help maintain the landscaping and greenery."

Almost every morning around 7 am, three or four sanitation workers arrive at the zoo to clear fallen leaves and trash.

Over time, they have become familiar faces at the zoo.

Feng often jokes: "Whenever there is a problem, just find Yang. He always knows what to do."