The peak of popularity

Fire prevention

Zhang Hong, 51, deputy head of Taiping town management station, which administers the nature reserve, leads a team of forest rangers to do routine fire prevention work.

"Fire prevention is paramount. Forest fire poses great danger to the mountain's wildlife," Zhang says.

He says that, for the past three months, there has been barely any rain in the region.

Fire engines broadcast fire prevention regulations via a loudspeaker along the road, and forest rangers patrol and promote the importance of fire prevention among local villagers.

"While forest fire in the north is sometimes caused by lightning, in the south, it's often due to people's actions. Therefore, we take precise preventive measures," he says.

During the harvest time, they have to prevent locals from burning straw, supervising via a monitor system installed along the major roads.

During Tomb Sweeping Day they purchase fresh flowers at the station's expense and distribute them to the locals, encouraging them to replace the traditional way of offering sacrifices to ancestors, such as burning "money" made from joss paper.

The station also provides villagers with induction cookers free of charge, to decrease the use of firewood stoves.

Every month, Zhang and other forest rangers spend at least 22 days at the station. He has developed deep ties with the nature reserve after working there for over 30 years.

He says poaching is rare, as locals are aware of the importance of wildlife protection. As the core area of the nature reserve is not open to tourists, they persuade backpackers who try to enter the region to visit the Fanjing Mountain scenic area for climbing.

Wang Jin contributed to the story.