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ZhAng Lu loves tigers， probably more than anyone else. As early as his high school days in 1999， he built his own tiger-themed website， the first of its kind in China. The enthusiasm for the big cats led to him finding a berth among a batch of volunteers who went to South Africa to learn wildlife management with the support of a South China Tiger protection foundation.
That’s how his career， tied with South Africa’s fascinating natural resources， started. Now an exclusive agent for EcoTraining， a South African company providing field guides and nature courses， Zhang has been connecting Chinese nature lovers with the beautiful African country full of memories and hopes for him.
After receiving a degree in environmental engineering from the Shanghai University in 2005， Zhang went to South Africa， volunteering for a program to return South China Tigers to the wild. For 1，000 days his “office” was on no man’s land， a place far from urban areas and unfamiliar even to locals. His responsibilities， in addition to taking care of his tiger pals， included facility maintenance and environmental monitoring - and anything else that was necessary for survival.
“The experience made me realize that no matter what conveniences urban life can provide us， we are still part of nature，” Zhang recalled the nearly three years he spent there， living with erratic electricity supply.
But he was impressed by how South Africans treated nature. “The joke is， you can be bailed out if you murder someone in South Africa，” Zhang shared in his autobiography. “But if you hurt wildlife， money can’t help you.”
While the years in the rough terrain posed no problem， in the first year back in Shanghai after the mission was completed in 2008， Zhang found himself facing a health problem - he became prone to catching a cold， which had never happened to him in South Africa.
That made Zhang review his lifestyle in the financial hub， especially the air， environment and the food. The taste of the vegetables， Zhang said， was quite disappointing compared to those in South Africa. That was how he had the idea of growing organic vegetables.
In the last five years， the idea has expanded from a personal project into a program involving over 500 households. Families owning a plot in Zhang’s organic farm in Shanghai receive twice a week fresh vegetables grown without any pesticide， herbicide or growth hormones.
While enjoying his bucolic refuge in the bustling city， Zhang didn’t forget the starry sky and his animal friends in the rainbow country. His contact with EcoTraining made him rebuild a link with the land of his dreams. “Nothing can compare to the eco-training courses which gave me so much knowledge about nature，” said Zhang.
The appeal of the program， according to him， lies in learning about nature first-hand. With the Kruger National Park as an open classroom， participants learn how to spot footprints of tigers and lions， observe the behaviors of animals they’ve never seen before， and have an unforgettable night safari with intimate contact with wild animals.
“There are at least two generations in China who have never been exposed to any nature education，”said Zhang.
The program， he said， can foster a love of nature and strengthen an awareness of the need to protect it. Some of his clients have become nature protection volunteers after participating in the course.
Reassured by the increasing demands for the program， Zhang now plans to purchase a large nature reserve in South Africa which will be an overseas base for Chinese nature lovers’ education. It would be run in coordination with his organic farming program in Shanghai.
“Organic food improves physical health but only in the nature can we get inner peace，” Zhang said.
The new plan needs an investment of about 80 million yuan （$13 million）， to be raised from eight investors. Not everyone who has the money can come on board. “A love for nature and an intention to protect it will be the basic requirement，” Zhang said.
Nature reserves in South Africa prove that protection and industrialization can be integrated， instead of being contradictory. “As long as we don’t chase profit by over-exploration， a business relying on natural resources can be part of a virtuous circle in which the profit goes to [nature] protection initiatives，” Zhang said.
He welcomes competition because the entire business is about getting more people involved in loving and appreciating the beautiful planet we live in. “The more people join in， the happier I will be，”Zhang said.
That’s how his career， tied with South Africa’s fascinating natural resources， started. Now an exclusive agent for EcoTraining， a South African company providing field guides and nature courses， Zhang has been connecting Chinese nature lovers with the beautiful African country full of memories and hopes for him.
After receiving a degree in environmental engineering from the Shanghai University in 2005， Zhang went to South Africa， volunteering for a program to return South China Tigers to the wild. For 1，000 days his “office” was on no man’s land， a place far from urban areas and unfamiliar even to locals. His responsibilities， in addition to taking care of his tiger pals， included facility maintenance and environmental monitoring - and anything else that was necessary for survival.
“The experience made me realize that no matter what conveniences urban life can provide us， we are still part of nature，” Zhang recalled the nearly three years he spent there， living with erratic electricity supply.
But he was impressed by how South Africans treated nature. “The joke is， you can be bailed out if you murder someone in South Africa，” Zhang shared in his autobiography. “But if you hurt wildlife， money can’t help you.”
While the years in the rough terrain posed no problem， in the first year back in Shanghai after the mission was completed in 2008， Zhang found himself facing a health problem - he became prone to catching a cold， which had never happened to him in South Africa.
That made Zhang review his lifestyle in the financial hub， especially the air， environment and the food. The taste of the vegetables， Zhang said， was quite disappointing compared to those in South Africa. That was how he had the idea of growing organic vegetables.
In the last five years， the idea has expanded from a personal project into a program involving over 500 households. Families owning a plot in Zhang’s organic farm in Shanghai receive twice a week fresh vegetables grown without any pesticide， herbicide or growth hormones.
While enjoying his bucolic refuge in the bustling city， Zhang didn’t forget the starry sky and his animal friends in the rainbow country. His contact with EcoTraining made him rebuild a link with the land of his dreams. “Nothing can compare to the eco-training courses which gave me so much knowledge about nature，” said Zhang.
The appeal of the program， according to him， lies in learning about nature first-hand. With the Kruger National Park as an open classroom， participants learn how to spot footprints of tigers and lions， observe the behaviors of animals they’ve never seen before， and have an unforgettable night safari with intimate contact with wild animals.
“There are at least two generations in China who have never been exposed to any nature education，”said Zhang.
The program， he said， can foster a love of nature and strengthen an awareness of the need to protect it. Some of his clients have become nature protection volunteers after participating in the course.
Reassured by the increasing demands for the program， Zhang now plans to purchase a large nature reserve in South Africa which will be an overseas base for Chinese nature lovers’ education. It would be run in coordination with his organic farming program in Shanghai.
“Organic food improves physical health but only in the nature can we get inner peace，” Zhang said.
The new plan needs an investment of about 80 million yuan （$13 million）， to be raised from eight investors. Not everyone who has the money can come on board. “A love for nature and an intention to protect it will be the basic requirement，” Zhang said.
Nature reserves in South Africa prove that protection and industrialization can be integrated， instead of being contradictory. “As long as we don’t chase profit by over-exploration， a business relying on natural resources can be part of a virtuous circle in which the profit goes to [nature] protection initiatives，” Zhang said.
He welcomes competition because the entire business is about getting more people involved in loving and appreciating the beautiful planet we live in. “The more people join in， the happier I will be，”Zhang said.