Artist Yanzi highlights conservation efforts to protect the crested ibis in her new book, featuring 35 oil paintings. China Daily
Its white feathers carried a soft pink sheen, its slender neck formed a gentle curve, and when it spread its wings, it looked like a dancer in the sky. Artist Yanzi recalled her first encounter with the crested ibis.
She shared this memory at the launch ceremony of her book, Nirvana and Rebirth — A Documentary Oil Painting Series on the Conservation of the Crested Ibis, at the recent Beijing Book Fair, which closed on Jan 10.
Born in Chongqing, Yanzi, an oil painter of Chinese and Russian heritage, spent her childhood in Russia.
She says her earliest impression of this beautiful bird came not from nature, but from a church mural in Russia, which her grandfather pointed out, calling it the "bird of paradise".
But it was in 2009 during a sketching trip in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, that she unexpectedly encountered this "Oriental Jewel", seeing a living crested ibis for the first time in her life.
She later heard that, in 1981, there were only seven crested ibises left in the world, struggling to survive in the forests of Yaojiagou in Yangxian county, Shaanxi province. Their habitat covered less than 5 square kilometers, and their fragile existence was threatened by disease, predators and environmental destruction.
"From that moment on, I decided I was no longer just an observer," she says.
She joined forestry workers as they ventured deep into the heart of the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi province, keeping watch by the huts in Yaojiagou and recording observations outside the breeding center's enclosures.
Over the years, she captured more than 1,690 precious photographs, documenting the protectors' efforts as they wrapped tree trunks with butter to prevent snake damage, traveled to Germany to learn breeding techniques, and mobilized local farmers to help protect feeding grounds.
Artist Yanzi highlights conservation efforts to protect the crested ibis in her new book, featuring 35 oil paintings. CHINA DAILY
"The observational data in those yellowing notes, the mix of anxiety and excitement during the wild releases, and the transformation from the temporary Qinling No 1 protection station to a national nature reserve have all become the most moving stories on my canvas," she says.
Since 2009, the crested ibis has been a central theme in her artistic creations.
Published by Shaanxi Travel & Tourism Press, the book brings together 35 oil paintings by Yanzi that capture the key moments in the bird's conservation journey — the joy experienced by researcher Liu Yinzeng in 1981 when he discovered seven crested ibises; the dedication behind the breakthroughs in artificial breeding in 1990; the excitement in 2000 when the population surpassed 100; and today's breathtaking sight of thousands of crested ibises flying across a 16,000-square-kilometer habitat.
"With a documentary style, I use paint to honor the ordinary heroes who sustain life and to showcase China's efforts in protecting endangered species," she says.
"I hope more people come to understand that every life is worth protecting and every act of perseverance can lead to miracles."
The crested ibis, a large bird with white plumage, a distinctive red face, and a long, downward-curving bill, was once considered extinct.
Over the past 45 years, its population has grown from the verge of extinction to more than 11,000, spreading across 10 provinces in China, including Shaanxi, as well as Japan and South Korea.
This recovery is the result of continuous strict habitat protection, scientific research, and public participation, especially in Yangxian, where conservation efforts first began, says Meng Jianliang, deputy head of the publicity department of Yangxian county government.
Nirvana and Rebirth is just one of several books published by Shaanxi Travel & Tourism Press that focus on ecological and environmental protection.
yangyangs@chinadaily.com.cn
