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Click the photo and watch the video. [Video editor: Cheng Yijia] |
In early July this year, China's State Council issued a plan for building a Beautiful China during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), setting out the overall requirements, targets, key tasks and major projects for comprehensively advancing the initiative. At the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress, in March, China's national legislature adopted the Ecological and Environmental Code of the People's Republic of China, which opened a new chapter for systematic environmental governance. The code formally took effect on August 15, 2026.
The chapter of "Women's Contributions in the Eco-environmental Field," in the white paper, China's Achievements in Women's Well-Rounded Development in the New Era, records data and cases that systematically and vividly present Chinese women's contributions to ecological protection and green development. Women of China shares several stories about Chinese women, who have contributed to enhancing ecological and environmental protection in China, and to fostering the building of a Beautiful China.
This article focuses on the story of Chu Wenwen, Deputy Director of the National Youth Ecological Civilization Education Center and founder of Altay Nature Conservation Association, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
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[Photo by Zhang Jiamin] |
Countless young people are dedicating themselves to protecting biodiversity in China. Chu Wenwen is one of those youths. Chu is Deputy Director of the National Youth Ecological Civilization Education Center, founder of Altay Nature Conservation Association, in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and one of the recipients of the 26th China Youth May Fourth Medal. As she has devoted years to protecting the nationally protected Mengxin beaver, Chu has become widely known in China as the "Beaver Princess."
Chu was born in Altay Prefecture in 1994. Snow leopards roam the cliffs, beavers build dams along the rivers, and argali race across the mountain ridges — the abundant vitality of this wilderness shaped her lifelong dedication to ecological conservation. She spent much of her childhood and youth in nature's embrace. As such, she developed at an early age a deep curiosity, and reverence, for all living creatures. Her early experiences in life planted a seed of reflection on the relationship between humanity and nature in her heart.
In 2017, Chu graduated, with a master's degree in wildlife protection, from Beijing Forestry University. While most of her classmates chose to pursue careers in Beijing, Chu kept thinking about the busy beavers building their dams along the rivers in Altay. She remembered how the beavers never stopped, and how they simply kept working, bit by bit. She decided to return to Xinjiang, and to devote her life to protecting the wildlife.
Beavers are widely considered to be "nature's engineers." They build their dams, which are instrumental in restoring wetland ecosystems, and in protecting biodiversity. In 2018, in Chakurtu, a town in Fuyun County, Altay, Chu observed a family of three beavers had frozen to death. That deeply affected her, and made her realize the rare, Mengxin beaver urgently needed greater protection. She resolved to dedicate herself to protecting the species.
The same year, Chu established the Altay Nature Conservation Association and, with her partners, she launched an online, public-welfare community, the "Beaver Corps," which quickly attracted more than 1 million young Chinese. Chu and her team implemented the "Beaver Canteen" project in 2019, to plant willow saplings as food for the beavers. To date, more than 1 million saplings have been planted. Chu and her team also launched "Beaver Livestreams," and they produced short wildlife-conservation videos, which allowed netizens to observe firsthand the beavers' lives. "We hope, through fun, interactive formats, everyone can become a nature protector," Chu explains.
With support from the local government, Chu and her team implemented the "Beaver Ark" project, under which they built professional, wildlife-rescue centers. The first center opened, in Fuyun County, during the winter of 2021. Throughout the years, members of the "Beaver Corps" have rescued, and released back into the wild, 746 animals, including some nationally protected species, such as snow leopards, Mengxin beavers, brown bears and argali.
Given the joint efforts of the "Beaver Corps" and ecological-conservation workers, the number of beaver clans in Altay has grown from 162, in 2018, to 227, in 2025. More importantly, their habitats have improved. In October 2021, Chu delivered a speech, as a Chinese youth delegate, during the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Her remarks deeply affected experts and scholars from around the world. "I am fortunate to live in such a great era, where my country (China) strongly supports ecological conservation, and young people can realize their aspirations," Chu said during her speech.
As a member of the National Youth Ecological Civilization Education Center, Chu's focus has shifted from "protecting nature herself" to "working alongside more young people, making nature protection a way of life." She is constantly thinking about ways to make "being good to the Earth" an everyday habit, especially through methods that appeal to young people. "From the Clean Plate campaign to green commuting, from caring about the rivers near our homes to protecting every tree around us, these small actions, when gathered together, form the very fabric of Beautiful China," Chu says.
She hopes to collaborate with more people, especially on projects involving national park development, frontline wildlife protection, and science popularization curriculum design. She wants to ensure more people become engaged in environmental protection, and that those who quietly dedicate themselves to ecological protection are being seen. "What I want most is not for others to see me, but for those young people who work silently for nature to be seen — every individual's effort, when combined, is the true force that changes the world," she says.
When asked about the Ecological and Environmental Code, Chu says she believes the code consolidates previously scattered legal provisions into a clear, comprehensive system, making it easier for the public to understand and comply with the law. Chu suggests legal education can also be enjoyable; for instance, by taking teenagers to visit protected habitats, the teens can experience the meaning of the law firsthand.
Years of wildlife protection have taught Chu that building a Beautiful China is ultimately an accumulation of good intentions, with the goal of achieving harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. Chu recalls working early on with herder guardians who, though unfamiliar with terms like "biodiversity," quietly protected the grasslands and rivers based on their keen observations of nature, and their genuine goodwill. "They know which river's water has turned murky, or which meadow has fewer flowers. Their perception of a Beautiful China grows out of their everyday lives," Chu says.
"People of my generation are fortunate to have grown up in the new era, when our country is promoting ecological conservation vigorously," she says. "We should think about how we can more effectively contribute to our planet's sustainable development; for example, by mitigating climate change and promoting low-carbon lifestyles. Ultimately, the efforts we make are also about safeguarding the very foundation of humanity's survival," Chu adds.
Photos from Interviewee
(Women of China English Monthly August 2026)
Editor: Wang Shasha
