The Return of Ten Thousand Birds

The Return of Ten Thousand Birds is a green ecology book written for the youth of the new era. The book compiles ten short stories， crafting numerous authentic and rich character portraits， reflecting lively themes from social life from multiple angles and aspects， and expressing high praise for the national character of diligence， bravery， kindness， and resilience.

Jin Duo’er

Jin Duo’er， a Hakka from southern Jiangxi Province， is a member of the China Writers Association and the deputy director of the Children’s Literature Committee of the Jiangxi Provincial Writers Association. She has won the Bing Xin Children’s Literature Award for New Works in 2018 and 2022， the 6th Guyu Literature Award of Jiangxi Province， among other accolades.

At dawn， when the sun beats its drum， Yingpanxu awakens. Awakening along with it， in addition to Yingpanxu’s lush vegetation and curling cooking smoke， are the birds in the forest: egrets， cuckoos， turtledoves， willow warblers， shrikes， white pheasants， long-billed crows， pine hawks. These spirits of the earth， flapping their wings， lightly tracing beautiful arcs through the forests and meadows. The milk-like fog in the forest， and the towering mountains piercing into the clouds， become even more poetic and lively amidst the chorus of bird calls.

Yingpanxu is located in the western part of Suichuan County， Jiangxi Province， an ancient town above the clouds at an altitude of over a thousand meters. Not only does it boast continuous majestic peaks and beautiful terraced fields， but it also has a thousand-year-old bird path where myriad birds compete in flight. This ancient bird path has witnessed flocks of migratory birds blotting out the sky， migrating from the far north each autumn and winter for thousands of years. These migratory birds seem to be writing an epic of The Return of Ten Thousand Birds with their actions.

Xiao Wu， a little girl studying at Yingpanxu Elementary School， originally lived in the bustling metropolis. A few years ago， because of the millennia-old bird path， she followed her father to Yingpanxu and started attending school here. Xiao Wu’s father， Tang Cheng， is a public welfare volunteer and a photographer. Due to his love for migratory birds， Tang Cheng took the initiative to teach at Yingpanxu Elementary School and utilized his spare time to photograph migratory birds， becoming a bird protection volunteer. At the same time， he advocates for the protection of migratory bird migration channels in national media， guiding the public to foster a consciousness of loving and protecting birds.

Xiao Wu also loves migratory birds， just like her dad， and she often shares stories of her communication with birds with her classmates. At first， her classmates didn’t take her seriously， thinking she was just good at making up stories. But， over time， they realized that Xiao Wu’s stories were not just tales. She genuinely understood the “l(fā)anguage” of birds， especially the “l(fā)anguage” of cranes.

She could comprehend the meaning behind every action and call of the cranes. Moreover， she was very accurate in predicting when the migratory birds would pass through Yingpanxu’s millennia-old bird path.

On a Saturday morning， Xiao Wu told her friends Mao Xiaodong and Lin Xiu’er， “Today， many migratory birds will fly over our Wanniao Ridge. Do you believe it?”

“How do you know?” asked Mao Xiaodong.

“Don’t ask so many questions; just come with me after lunch， and you’ll see，” Xiao Wu said mysteriously.

In fact， Xiao Wu made this statement based on her serious study of the migratory patterns of birds. The weather forecast showed a sudden drop in temperature in the north， freezing water and grass， while the climate in the south became increasingly suitable for these birds， with migratory birds already arriving. She had a premonition that today， there would be flocks of migratory birds flying over Yingpanxu.

After lunch， Xiao Wu saw her dad， Tang Cheng， preparing his camera， tripod， film， and other photography equipment. She knew he was definitely going to Wanniao Ridge. He was going to photograph those spirits and， more importantly， protect them， as he was worried about the migratory birds encountering dangers during their migration. Although Tang Cheng has been promoting awareness through various activities， reminding villagers to pay attention to and care for migratory birds， thereby enhancing their bird protection consciousness， he still habitually patrols the Wanniao Ridge area every migration season.

“Dad， we also want to go bird watching and protecting with you，” Xiao Wu said.

“We? Who else besides you?” asked Tang Cheng.

“Mao Xiaodong and Lin Xiu’er also want to see how you photograph birds and join you as bird protection volunteers，” Xiao Wu said.

“Okay， as long as you’re not afraid of getting tired， come along，” Tang Cheng said， patting Xiao Wu on the shoulder with a smile.

Xiao Wu arrived at the school gate to find Mao Xiaodong and Lin Xiu’er already waiting for her. The two were excited， taking Xiao Wu’s word for it that they would soon see many migratory birds. The three of them followed Tang Cheng， and after more than two hours of walking， they finally climbed to the summit of Wanniao Ridge. When they looked around， the lush green mountains stretched out like a sea， a breathtakingly beautiful spot for bird watching and photography. A gust of wind made everyone shiver from the cold， but their anticipation kept them from feeling it.

They waited a long time without seeing a single migratory bird. Mao Xiaodong and Lin Xiu’er grew impatient. The journey over mountains and through valleys was tiring， and now， after a long wait， they were even more exhausted and began to doze off. However， Xiao Wu and her dad， Tang Cheng， remained excited and firm in their belief that the migratory birds would come. Finally， as the sun was about to set， the guests from afar arrived at Wanniao Ridge， one by one， dozens， hundreds. A sight too fast to follow. Xiao Wu woke the sleepy Mao Xiaodong and Lin Xiu’er， “Wake up， the migratory birds are here!” They opened their eyes to see flocks of migratory birds arriving， cheering excitedly! Along with their cheers， more and more birds arrived， hundreds， thousands， flapping and calling， forming a cloud of feathers. Xiao Wu noticed that cranes were the most numerous， with their noble and graceful presence like princes dancing lightly in the sky. Besides the cranes， many other world-class “stars” also arrived， such as the red-crowned crane， the wild goose， and the little swan. Amidst the mountain peaks， the myriad flying birds were like a group of free， joyful spirits， making Wan Bird Ridge uniquely vibrant.

“Look， so many cranes!” Lin Xiu’er couldn’t contain her excitement and exclaimed.