The area of the Yellow River Wetland Park in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region, was once a place local people avoided: the waste water caused awful smells and almost no grass could grow on the land.

Now, the park has not only become a popular destination for locals to take a walk, but also a habitat frequented by migratory birds (候鸟).

As secretary general of Ningxia’s bird observation association, Li Zhijun witnessed the huge changes at the park. According to him, the Yinchuan wetland park, together with other wetland areas along the Yellow River in Ningxia, has become a famous spot for bird photographers. More habitats for migratory birds are appearing as the environment improves, added Li in an interview with China Daily.

The Yinchuan wetland park mirrors China’s achievements in wetland protection. On Nov 10, seven Chinese cities were awarded “international wetland cities” at the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP 14). So far, there are 13 wetland cities in China, showing a great variety of patterns and styles.

For example, Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province, is known as a “city of a hundred lakes”. The city has five large wetland reserves, where tens of thousands of birds come to stay in wintertime, noted the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Liangping district in Chongqing, however, is totally different from natural wetland. It is more closely tied to human activity. People built small wetlands in rural areas. What’s more, they have combined these wetlands with organic farms, homestays, and healthcare centers, which has resulted in an income increase of 52,000 yuan per household.

Panjin in Liaoning province is another amazing wetland city. In the past, the city has long suffered from environmental problems caused by oil production. But now in the coastal wetlands, seagrass turns a breathtaking red every autumn, creating beautiful “red beaches”.

Chen Zhihai, a local fishery worker, said to Panjin Daily, “In the past, there were almost no wild fish and shrimp. Thanks to the efforts of ordinary Panjin people, now the wetland is back again!”

It’s never a good idea to give an animal as a gift: Just ask Harry and Houdini. A man gave the pair of ducklings to his wife as Valentine’s Day gifts. Like many people receiving animals as gifts, she didn’t know how to care for them-so Harry and Houdini sat, day after day, in a plastic case in their living room. For two weeks, the ducklings never swam in a pond or saw the open sky-they never even left the case, which grew filthier every day.

Finally, the woman called PETA and asked us to take the ducklings. When we arrived to rescue them, their tiny case was covered with a two-week buildup of their own waste.

We took them to the Virginia Beach SPCA, where they were freed from their filthy case, cleaned up, and finally given space to spread their wings-and then the search for the perfect home for them was on. It wasn’t long before a PETA member named Katie offered Harry and Houdini a permanent home at her vegetarian farm in the country, where the sweet ducklings would have the land and water that they desired.

Because the ducklings hadn’t grown up with their mother, they weren’t sure how to be ducks! To help build up their confidence, Katie introduced them to other animals on her farm, including other ducks who could show them how to comb their feathers, splash in water, and walk around in the fresh air.

Finally, the big day came-for the first time in their lives, Harry and Houdini got to swim in a pond! Harry and Houdini now have full, happy lives, but countless animals who are given as gifts aren’t as lucky.

It was our first evening dog-sitting while our teenage daughter was away on vacation. Louie searched the entire house for his “mommy”. While we were watching TV, this six-month-old dog dragged his large carrier down the stairs. This project took most of the evening. What happened next made us realize that he obviously put thought and reasoning into each move. He pulled each of his personal things down the stairs and put them in the carrier.

After Louie finished packing his “suitcase”, he jumped inside and pulled the zipper (拉链) closed. Then he lay down and went to sleep. The message was clear. He had seen his mommy pack her suitcase and go away. He must do the same to find her. In the morning, believing he had arrived, he jumped up — but his mommy was not there.

He surprised us with new undertakings every day. His favorite activity was going for a car ride to McDonald’s for chicken. But one day, my husband Paul didn’t stop at McDonald’s and left Louie in the car with the window open while he went off. That dog managed to jump out the window, walked two blocks and found Paul in a store. As Paul was paying for his things, he was shocked to look down and find Louie. Indeed, they stopped for some chicken on the way home.

One evening, when I was outside with Louie, I noticed a huge black bear. I screamed at Louie to come back inside the house. Instead, he fearlessly rushed to the bear’s back legs. The bear ran to get away from the little annoying dog. I was surprised at Louie’s bravery.

For Christmas that year, I turned Louie’s daily journal (日志) into a book written in a dog’s voice. Writing Louie’s story changed my life, and set me on the path to a new career as an author and radio talk-show host.