STORY: CPC member dedicated to protecting red-flowered black mangroves in S. China
DATELINE: July 7, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:56
LOCATION: HAIKOU, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Dongzhaigang National Nature Reserve
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
3. various of Wang Shijun working
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
7. various of the trees
8. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
9. SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
10. SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
11. various of Wang Shijun and his colleagues

STORYLINE:

"Saving red-flowered black mangroves is the most meaningful thing I've done in my life." Wang Shijun, a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and his colleagues have successfully saved the species from extinction in Hainan Province, south China.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
"This is the seeds of red-flowered black mangroves. Every year, we collect the seeds to grow seedlings. There are not enough seeds. There are only 9 first-generation red-flowered black mangrove trees left in our country."

As a national first-class protected wild plant in China, the red-flowered black mangroves are known as "coast guards." Due to a lack of protection, their wild population in China decreased from 350 in 2006 to 14 in 2014.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
"If we failed in saving the red-flowered black mangroves, it would disappear in our country. In that case, our children could only see them in the pictures."

Wang is a retired employee of the Hainan Dongzhaigang National Nature Reserve Authority. In 1980, Wang went to work there.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
"In 1981, I joined an investigation of mangrove distribution in Hainan. We spotted the species named red-flowered black mangroves in Dadun Village, Lingshui Li Autonomous County. At that time, there were around 400 or 500 red-flowered black mangroves trees there."

In 2013, when Wang learned the trees were on the verge of extinction as their population had plummeted, he was devastated. So he joined a group of young colleagues to volunteer for the conservation of the trees in August that year. But when they went to Sanya to collect the seeds, they found themselves in big troubles.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
"We couldn't find any seed there. Later a young man climbed up a huge tree to try our luck. He saw cracks in the trunk of the tree and there he found around 100 seeds. We brought them back."

Wang decided to grow the valuable seeds on his balcony at home. He also collected some soil and water from Sanya to mimic the natural habitat of the seeds.

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
"We cultivated 16 seedlings, but only one survived, for the balcony environment is not suitable for its growth."

In 2014, Wang and his colleagues went to Sanya to search for seeds of red-flowered black mangroves again. This time, they put what they found in a nature reserve for cultivation.

SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
"We cultivated 240 seedlings this time. We were very excited."

About eight years ago, the Dongzhaigang National Nature Reserve Authority vacated a base of 1.33 hectares for the mangrove plantation.

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
"These red-flowered black mangroves were planted in 2015. We planted 112 trees. They are all alive now and grow well. And the biggest one is now over 3 meters high. "

With the efforts of people like Wang Shijun, the number of red-flowered black mangroves has increased to about 2,300. Wang said he hopes that they will be out of danger soon.

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): WANG SHIJUN, Protector of red-flowered black mangroves
"Saving red-flowered black mangroves is the most meaningful thing I've done in my life."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Haikou, China.
(XHTV)