The Intergenerational Transmission of Medical Knowledge

This book depicts the life of wild animals living in various nature reserves in Jiangxi through beautiful and lyrical words， including white cranes， Chinese tiger frogs， black muntjacs， civets， Meleagris， finless porpoises， sambar， pangolins， etc.

Friends from the Nature Reserve

Deng Tao

Jiangxi Science amp; Technology Publishing House

April 2024

38.00 (CNY)

Deng Tao

Deng Tao is a member of the Chinese Writers Association， member of the Chinese Literature and Art Critics Association， vice chairman of Nanchang Writers Association， chairman of Nanchang Literary and Art Critics Association， president of Nanchang Poetry Society， invited researcher of the Institute of Literature， Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences， director of the Art Theory (Review) Committee of Jiangxi Artists Association， and visiting professor at the Academy of Fine Arts of Jiangxi Normal University and other colleges.

Look —

The pair of big birds had red faces， long slender legs with pink legs， and the tips of their wings were as white as snow with black sleeves. They are white cranes， immersed in the happy “two-bird world.”

There are many children who think of red-crowned cranes as white cranes. Despite their physical resemblance， they are not one in the same. The most obvious difference is that the red-crowned crane wears a red “crane crown” and is larger than the white crane. There are also significant differences between them in terms of feather coats， habits， living environment， and areas covered.

The couple happily decorate their new home， building nests on the grass mounds of the wetlands， bringing branches and hay at one point. It seems that the mother crane is happy. After a while， it shuddered slightly， and laid an oval egg， and then， from under it， another rolled out. The mother crane laid two eggs in a row.

The male crane was overjoyed and kept guarding the female crane intimately. After laying eggs， the mother crane lies quietly in her nest， and this scarce bird is about to welcome a newborn.

This is an enviable loving couple， some people want to take a closer look out of curiosity， but the male crane does not agree. It went into a state of emergency alertness and quickly rushed forward to intercept the incoming crowd. It spreads its wings and blusters， showing the appearance of being unapproachable.

One day， it suddenly started raining. In such weather， the other birds are hiding. The mother crane withstood the rain and still insisted on incubating her eggs motionlessly. When the male crane is standing guard， he will also take shifts with the female crane when it’s too difficult for the female crane to do so. It flies into the nest， lies down on the eggs， and signals the mother crane to go out to forage for food， moving its body and bones.

The White Crane couple worked tirelessly day and night to hatch the eggs. They have a very tacit understanding. The male crane is on the day shift and the female crane is on the night shift. This lasts for about a month， and although the days are hard and boring， they are happy at the thought that the babies will hatch out soon.

Time flies， and the baby crane seems to be in a hurry to meet its parents. It begins to peck restlessly at the eggshell from inside the shell， eager to come out. The white crane couple was very nervous， and they were tugging at each other， quietly waiting for the child to break out of the shell.

Finally， the fluffy baby white crane pecked through the eggshell， fluttered， plopped， and came out. The white crane couple stared at their child with wide eyes and joy: It was dressed in golden brown， but it was beautiful! The baby crane also raised its head， unwittingly observing the novel world.

The white crane couple is feeding the eldest baby while waiting for the second baby to break the shell. Soon， the second baby also broke out of the shell. The couple raised their two babies together， and when they found food， they brought it back and fed them bite by bite. The clear water of the lake rippled slightly， and the two baby white cranes staggered into the lake and began to learn to swim under the care of their parents. “Plop，" plop，” two baby white cranes jumped into the water， the soles of their feet held back and paddled vigorously， and the family swam around in the clear lake， enjoying the joy of family.

If they are in the shallows， the white cranes will sink their beaks and heads into the water to feed as they walk， and although they seem to be strolling in a garden， they will raise their heads from time to time to observe the movements around them. The couple looked for small fish， shrimp， insects， etc.， and also found some plant shoots and seeds to feed the baby cranes. It will take a long time for the baby cranes to learn to dig and forage for food on their own.

In addition to feeding the baby， the white crane couple also needs to do a good job of guarding. There is no shortage of natural predators in the sky eyeing the baby cranes. One day， a flying and domineering red-legged harrier actually took a baby white crane in its mouth， and the white crane couple rushed into the sky in the wind， screaming hoarsely， and fighting the red-legged harrier with their sharp beaks to take the baby back. Under the sharp attack of the white crane couple， the red-legged harrier gradually couldn’t parry， left the white crane baby， and fled. The white crane couple finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

The baby crane craned its neck， shook its body and playfully slapped its feet against the water in the shallows， making a splash. It seems to have forgotten that it had just been in distress.

In addition to the harriers in the air， there are also snakes and rats on the ground， all of which are very arrogant and often swagger over to bully the baby cranes. This can freak out the baby cranes. When encountering enemies， the baby cranes will hide under the wings of the mother crane， and the father crane will show his responsibility and bravely fight. Snakes and rats are no match for him at all.

After experiencing danger， the baby cranes learn that it is safest to be by the side of their parents， and they follow closely by the side of the crane father and the crane mother， not willing to stray even an inch away. After 85 days of birth， the baby cranes’ feathers gradually grow and they can learn to fly. They are eager to try， flapping their wings vigorously， and learning to fly from their parents. Crane parents are not in a hurry， and patiently accompany them to practice flying. You must know that even if the baby crane is only slightly injured， it may not be able to fly in a short time.

The baby cranes insisted on practicing every day， and the white crane couple was even more heartbroken. They stay with them， once， twice， three times... The baby cranes are getting stronger and stronger， flying higher and higher every time， and finally can hover like a crane father and a crane mother.

As the baby cranes grow older， they can not only embrace the lake， but also conquer the sky like their parents.

White cranes live in groups and move around during the day like humans. At night， one or two cranes act as sentinels， and the others can sleep and rest. Their sleeping position is interesting: standing upright on one leg， twisting their head around and placing it on their back， or simply sticking their beak into their feathers.

In late October， the golden autumn came. The cranes seem to have made an appointment， and they form a queue in the shape of a “one” or “human” character， and one by one they land on the wetlands of Poyang Lake. The white crane’s team was so vast that it was impossible to count， and there were hundreds of them. By early November， when the last team of white cranes arrived， the Poyang Lake wetlands became their kingdom.

Sky blue， water blue. Most of the world’s white cranes spend the winter on the vast beaches of Poyang Lake. It’s not easy to fly here， with bad weather， physical energy can be exhausted at any time. Unfamiliar surroundings on the way can also make them mislocated and unable to reach their destination.

Well， now it’s finally winter home. After a long trip to the camp， life here is particularly rich and comfortable.

For about half a year， the cranes can disperse. The little white cranes will spend a happy winter life with the crane father and the crane mother， and then go to the north in the warm spring of the next year.

Thousands of white cranes inhabit Poyang Lake， and they are so attached to this water and soil that they have formed the wonder of “birds flying as thousands of white spots， and the sun going down into half a red wheel” as described in Bai Juyi’s article. The white crane is a “l(fā)iving fossil” among birds， and as a provincial bird in Jiangxi， it is undoubtedly the top gun here.

The lifespan of the white crane is usually in the 70s， which is considered exceptional longevity. In traditional Chinese culture， the white crane symbolizes auspiciousness， good luck， and longevity. A crane chirped on Poyang Lake， and those hermits with both ability and integrity were called “crane-chirping scholars.” Yes， this area has been a retreat for grandmasters since ancient times. And today’s gathering of white cranes seems to be nature’s best blessing to this land.