【推荐2】Urban Wildlife

Cities are diverse ecosystems. In addition to visitors from the wild, a large number of species share our urban areas. As our cities spread, we need to think about what it is like for other species to have human neighbours.

Cities are built for humans.     1     For example, most city parks are kept neat and tidy so that humans will find them beautiful. But when we cut grass or plant flowers, we destroy natural habitats.

    2    . When a bridge in Austin, Texas was repaired, engineers added small gaps running along the length of its bottom. This made a good home for bats and soon the bridge was the home of thousands of bats.     3     Now, they have come to value their winged neighbours. The bats are a tourist attraction, and they eat lots of bugs every night.

There are also structures built with the aim of bringing wildlife into the city. The Beijing Olympic Forest Park is a good example. The park used native plants and created open, natural spaces for wildlife. The result is a zone in Beijing with over 160 species of birds. In many ways, the park is the opposite of a zoo.     4    

If we lean to share our space, we can become better neighbours to the wildlife around us.     5     Our own future will be endangered too.

【推荐3】I stole your dog today. No, I didn’t set a foot on your house, but from the condition of your dog, I can imagine what it looks like…the word “rubbish” comes to mind.

I found her along a road, with a heavy chain wrapped around her neck, still attached to rotten boards from her doghouse. Not only did I know that most of the town people had already ignored her, judging by where I found her, but I knew that if she had gotten into the Woods, the “cross” that she dragged behind her would have wrapped around a tree until starvation or thirst killed her. She has a beautiful name now. Already in the first week she has come to look more like she should. Her eyes sparkle and she has learned to wag her tail in greeting. She has stopped flinching (畏缩) when I make a sudden movement, because she knows now that I won’t beat her, in fact, she rarely leaves my side. She’s even become brave enough to bark at a cat and today I watched from the window as she attempted to play with the other dogs. No, it’s clear she does not miss you or her former life on a chain.

It’s not clear yet whether she'll remain here or whether I’ll find her a loving home where she can count on more individual attention than I can give her, but one thing is certain, this is one bit of stolen “property” who is never returning to you. So sue me, accuse me, plead with the courts that she is rightfully yours ... I’m convinced this is the best “crime” I’ve ever committed. Hardly anything has pleased me more than the day I stole your dog. I need only look into her beautiful brown eyes to know that she’d defend my decision with her life. If we have one prayer, it is that you will not replace her, and if we have one special day to celebrate together, it is the day I stole your dog and the day she stole my heart.

【推荐1】If it had not been for Fan Jinshi and her team, the world cultural heritage at Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in a remote Chinese desert might have long been destroyed by sand, weather or humans.

Born and raised in Shanghai, Fan has spent half a century fighting an uphill battle to preserve the ancient Buddhist wall paintings at Dunhuang, in Northwest China’s Gansu province. The 1, 600-year-old Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes are a huge collection of Buddhist art — more than 2, 000 Buddha figures and 45,000 square metres of paintings spread among 735 caves. It is China’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Archaeologist Fan was sent to Dunhuang after graduating from Peking University in 1963. While in Dunhuang, a remote village in the desert then, Fan lived in an abandoned temple. At first, she did not even dare to go out to the toilet at night. To protect the treasures from sand and dampness, Fan and other workers put doors on the caves, planted trees and started monitoring temperature and humidity (湿度) in the caves. They also control the number of visitors.

In the late 1990s, with tourism booming nationwide since national holidays were extended, the local government planned to go public with Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, but found Fan firmly in their way. “The heritage would have been destroyed if it had been listed,” she said.

Dunhuang Academy has now photographed and catalogued online all the sculptures and paintings. “Despite our efforts to minimize damage, we can’t completely stop them from being eroded (腐蚀). But the digital database will last.”

Fan was grateful when her husband joined her in Dunhuang in 1986 after 19 years of separation. Her two sons grew up in Shanghai with their aunt. “I have not been a good mother or wife. With regard to my family, I’m full of guilt,” she said. Fan retired as the director of Dunhuang Academy but continues her efforts as a national political advisor.

【推荐2】The Well that Changed the World

As a six-year-old Canadian schoolboy, Ryan had trouble believing the words spoken by his teacher that many people in developing African countries couldn’t get enough clean water. He looked across the classroom at the drinking fountain. It was very close—only ten steps away. So, Ryan asked himself, “Why do some African children have to walk ten kilometers to get water every day? And why is the water so dirty that it makes them sick?” Young Ryan thought, “Life is easy for me, but hard for those people. Why don’t I help?”

At first, his plan was to earn money to build a single well somewhere in Africa. He cleaned windows and did gardening for his family and neighbors. He soon reached his first target (目标) of $70, but when he gave the money to a charity, he was told that it actually cost $2,000 to build a well.

Two thousand dollars was a lot of money, but Ryan didn’t give up. He started to ask for help from his classmates and neighbors and persuaded them to donate money. At the same time, a friend of Ryan’s mother helped make his story go public. After several months, Ryan had raised the $2,000, with which a well was built near a primary school in Uganda. The children at the school no longer needed to walk for hours to get water. They were grateful to him and invited him to visit.

In Uganda, Ryan at last saw the finished well with his own eyes. But that was not all. He also saw hundreds of delighted students who had turned out to welcome him. They sang and danced happily. Some even offered him food and gifts. At first Ryan was nervous, but soon great warmth filled him. He really had made a difference for these children. He broke into a joyful smile.

Later, Ryan’s experience led him to set up a foundation (基金会) to encourage more people to help. Many inspired people gave him their support. Ryan’s foundation continues to attract support from more and more people, so the work of building more wells can go on. Today, over 800,000 people in 16 countries across Africa have benefited from the life-changing gift of clean, safe water.