LiLi is the founding member of the Black Leopard Wildlife Conservation Station. He started his career in traditional Chinese painting. He grew up in the suburbs of Beijing when parts of the city were still villages. He would capture wild birds to paint in his studio. They would inevitably die and he felt guilty. Touched by the loss of the birds' habitat in his village and the beautiful wetland scenery, Li decided to protect these birds.
He decided to dedicate his life to protecting them. He now has a group of full time warden patrolling and protecting the Beijing surburban district of Fangshang. protecting wildlife in particular the endangered Black Stalk.
I followed LiLi on patrol of a streach of river in Fangshang as part of a series I am making about Beijings often overlooked wildlife.
