The Fish of the Jinsha River

The SEE Noah’ s Ark Biodiversity Conservation Book Series consists of five short-story picture books on endangered animal species in Southwest China. Each volume focuses on a different animal, following the path of a particular creature on its quest for survival. The series is part of the Southwest Project Center of the Alashan Society of Entrepreneurs & Ecology (SEE), one of the first NGOs set up in China, back in 2004. The stories are based on the real-life experiences of front-line rangers and locals in Southwest China, and can be fun and educational for young readers.

This volume follows the journey of Yuanyuan, a largemouth bronze gudgeon in the Jinsha River, from her beginning in life as a tiny egg amongst hundreds of other eggs. The largemouth bronze gudgeon is a type of river fish that inhabits the Yangtze river region. Despite its ability to swim in high currents and turbulent waters, it is critically endangered.

Shi Nianlu, born in the 1990s, is an experienced designer who graduated from the visual communication department of Yunnan Arts University. In her five-year design career, she gained rich experiences and developed professional design and aesthetic ability. She was the executive designer for many exhibitions, including the Suwen series, Afterwards the recommended exhibition of young artists, and Endless Poetry the Tianfu Painting exhibition. Xiao Jin is a retired scholar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She participated in environmental protection after retirement and was appointed vice president and secretary-general of the SEE Conservation Project Center and president of the SEE Foundation. She also led in establishing the SEE Noah’ s Ark Project. Tan Deqing is a researcher at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Science. He has published many papers and monographs. Bai Song has a Master’ s degree in engineering and has engaged in art education work for many years. She is now vice president and professional leader of Yunnan Light and Textile Industry Vocational Collage. She has edited and published two national planning textbooks, one jewelry major series teaching material for vocational institutes, and many educational, teaching, and research-related papers in relevant academic journals.