A true story: 23 years of a Red-crowned crane girl

The vast Heilongjiang land, there are a winding flow of rivers. On the east bank of the river is zhalong Nature Reserve, a wetland with jade in summer and white jade in winter. It is the most intact, primitive and open wetland ecosystem in the same latitude area in northern China. Also home to nature's "proud" spirit red-crowned crane. Despite their superior habitat, red-crowned cranes numbered only about 140 when the colony was established in 1975. Red-crowned cranes are extremely sensitive and wary of humans, making conservation difficult. But xu Tielin, a local fisherman, is deeply in the heart of the red-crowned crane. He is zhalong's first generation of crane raising people, also rescued many injured red-crowned cranes flying. The old Xu family and the crane adjacent to each other, naturally become one of the guardians of the red-crowned crane. Every crane nest in Zhalong's 2,100 square kilometers of wetlands has left behind old Xu's trudging steps. Perhaps at that time began, the fate of the old Xu family and red-crowned crane winding life fate.

The eldest daughter of the Xu family was Named Xu Xiujuan, and everyone liked to call her "Juanzi". Juanzi followed Old Xu to incubate cranes and take care of the young cranes. Over time, the red-crowned crane has been a part of her life. In 1981, because the local high school closed. 17-year-old Xu Xiujuan became a crane keeper when she went to zhalong Nature Reserve to raise red-crowned cranes with her father. Raising crane is a hard work, the family began to fear juanzi hardship. But she was very stubborn: "I like cranes, I can do well!" Old Xu said, "Raising cranes is a job that our country needs. We must do it conscientiously. We must not lose when we encounter difficulties." Xu Xiujuan kept her father's words in mind and worked hard. On the third day of entering the crane farm, they can raise the young cranes independently, identify the number of cranes and remember the date of birth of each crane. Xu Xiujuan and her baby cranes. Every year, cranes, which she nurtures with great care, flock from Zhalong to Yancheng, Jiangsu province for the winter.

In 1984. To breed red-crowned cranes in their wintering grounds, create an artificial population that does not migrate. Jiangsu Yancheng Nature Reserve was established. When the reserve was established. Conditions are extremely difficult, vast expanse of barren beaches, sparsely populated.

Little electricity and fresh water, lots of snakes and mosquitoes... But at that time. Xu Xiujuan, who just graduated from Northeast Forestry University, decided to go south in spite of the difficult conditions and her passion for crane raising. With three crane eggs in her heart, she traveled for three days and nights and finally arrived at the shore of the Yellow Sea. At that time. Artificial hatching of red-crowned cranes is one of the most advanced research projects in the world. Even under the wings of their parents, a slight change in temperature will result in the fetal dead shell. But the three eggs juanzi brought successfully hatched, becoming the first batch of artificially bred red-crowned cranes in Yancheng Nature Reserve. This is the first time in the world that an artificial hatching has succeeded in wintering. Even more surprising, the baby crane was born exceptionally strong, spreading its wings and taking to the sky more than 20 days earlier than normal. They say it's a miracle of love. How much does Xu Xiujuan love cranes? The chicks are newly hatched and fed every hour. She used scissors to cut fish one by one and then stuffed them back into their mouths, 24 hours a day. The young crane is sensitive to temperature and cannot be frozen, so she carries the crane in her arms. At night, when the temperature dropped, she carried the young cranes to her bed, and the smelly dung lay on her bed. She did not care. Xu Xiujuan with cranes in the wetland. Xu xiujuan once wrote on the back of a photo:

"I would give anything, even my life, to do what I love..." That proved a prophecy.

July 1987. Yancheng Nature Reserve came to two cubs, one called Muren, one called Liming. One day, Xu xiujuan gave them a bath. But they broke free and flew away. In the evening, only animal benevolence was found, dawn or disappeared. Xu Xiujuan could not rest assured, a person in the dark into the dense reed, still did not find. The next afternoon. She heard that there was a cry on the west bank of the Fudui River. Regardless of her physical exhaustion, she immediately rode to the past, jumped into the river and tried to find the river...... The night is dark and the road is long. All that remained of the fudui river was her bicycle. Through the reed bank, have you ever heard

There was a girl

She never came back

Only the clouds shed tears for her

Only the wind spoke for her

And a flock of red-crowned cranes

Fly by softly

...

This is a song that many of you have heard. Yes, it's for Juanzi. The beautiful girl was twenty-three years old. She left her life forever on the reed slope where she loved.

The old Xu family's love for red-crowned cranes did not diminish with Juanzi's departure. They can't forget the juanzi, let alone the crane. In 1997, Mr. Xu's son, Xu Jianfeng, gave up his job in the city. Return zhalong, took over the unfinished business of elder sister. Working scene of Xu Jianfeng. Colleagues said that the crane crane than the building peak also care. One day, some young cranes were startled by lightning and thunder. The reeds on the water rolled to and fro like fireballs. Xu jianfeng did not hesitate and immediately took the lead in rushing to rescue the crane. April 2014 is the key period for red-crowned cranes to breed and hatch. As usual, Xu waded into zhalong wetland to observe the breeding of free-range red-crowned cranes. He found a crane nest in the core of the wetland, and the chicks were about to hatch. To ensure the survival of the young cranes, Xu jianfeng spent a day guarding the wetlands. That spring was exceptionally dry and there were "wildfires" in the vicinity. Worried that the crane nest was burned, xu Jianfeng returned to the wetland the next day. Make sure the young and eggs of free-range red-crowned cranes are safe before leaving. However, fate always likes to play a joke. On his way back, Xu lost control of his motorcycle and plunged into a swamp... Twenty-seven years after The sacrifice of Xu Xiujuan, his younger brother Xu Jianfeng gave his life at the age of 47.

"My aunt, my father, although life like a meteor across the night sky, but I think they are happy, just leave endless yearning, left us......" The year xu Jianfeng died. His daughter, Xu Zhuo, is studying horticulture at Northeast Agricultural University. Determined, she transferred to Northeast Forestry University, where her aunt had studied, to study wildlife conservation. It was as if something was calling her. In 2016, she also returned to zhalong Reserve to take over the baton. He became the third generation crane raiser in the Xu family... "It's the only place I can find peace," she says. Xu Zhuo works in Zhalong Nature Reserve. Love is such an irresistible call. Looking through my father's stork diary. His daughter Xu Zhuo found:

"He kept a record of his daily work, which cranes cleaned their pens, which cranes were inoculated today..." Xu Zhuo notes carefully in his notebook. "I will continue it, and then we shall still be together."

"Cranes are spiritual animals. They have emotions," xu said. Crane workers often encounter cranes flying in front of them when they are working in the field. They knew it was the red-crowned crane, saluting in its own way. Zhalong people say that red-crowned cranes are proud and loyal all their lives. If a crane is too injured to fly south for the winter, its mate will stay. Even if it's cold and death. The old Xu family's affection for cranes is no different? For the red-crowned crane, Old Xu personally buried a pair of children. Old Xu's wife was almost blind from crying. Xu Jianfeng's wife lives on antidepressants at night. But they have no regrets. In 2017. A ceremony was held in Qiqihar to commemorate the 30th anniversary of xu Xiujuan's sacrifice. This song sounded again, old Xu couple on the spot shed tears... Xu xiujuan's parents and niece. It was October again, and flocks of red-crowned cranes were getting ready to overwinter. When the snow melts and spring blossoms next year, red-crowned cranes flock across the sky again, and the Xu couple know that their daughter, son, the children they have guarded all their lives, are back.