Preserving Dulong River valleys

Photo provided to China Daily

"Without staying warm around a fireplace, many older people cannot stay healthy. So after moving into their new homes, many families still keep a hut with a fireplace in which they spend most of their spare time."

Electricity is supposed to be the good substitute for fire. However, "after several-days of rain, power will be cut off".

Rain often causes the loss of mobile signals at the village.

"Without calling for 15 days in a month, mobile companies in the county become afraid that our phone bills are past due and so, they suspend the service," Jiang says with a grin. "You have to go to the town to solve the problem."

As one of several part-time patrolmen who work for the nature reserve, he admits that it's almost impossible to ban hunting in Dulongjiang.

"It (the love of hunting) is in our blood," he says. "But everyone obeys the government and village regulations that allow no hunting of big or protected animals and no electric fishing."

Li says: "In Dulongjiang, you do see kids trying to shoot birds with slings, but you won't hear gunshots from the forest. This is truly a big step forward."