Shanghai writers write about the guardians of the Erhai Lake from Shanghai, with seaweed flowers reappearing on the lake surface behind them | The blooming of seaweed flowers - the heavy trust and guard of the Erhai Sea | Writers
On the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5th, veteran reportage writer Zhu Dajian held a new book publishing symposium at Shanghai Jiao Tong University for his ecological documentary literary work "Seaweed Blossoms - The Heavy Trust and Watch by the Erhai Lake", which took one year and eight months to write and six months to revise. The book tells the story of Kong Hainan, a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a scholar of water ecology and environment, who went to the shores of Erhai Lake. With the support of various levels of government, he led his team to stick to the front line for many years and closely cooperated with local people of all ethnic groups, gradually restoring the once unbearable clarity of Erhai Lake. He is known by the media as the "elderly and the sea" of the new era.
Seaweed is unique to China and is a rare and endangered aquatic medicinal plant under national key protection. Due to the extremely high water quality requirements for the growth environment, seaweed is also regarded as an "environmental monitor" and "water quality touchstone". In recent years, with the increasing efforts in ecological protection of Erhai Lake and the continuous improvement of water quality, the annual arrival of seaweed flowers has become a beautiful scenery in Erhai Lake.
"Look, the sunshine from the plateau shines on the blue surface of Erhai Lake. In a vast expanse of water, thousands of seaweed flowers are blooming warmly. The seaweed flowers are 'floating' on the lake surface: their slender rhizomes extend from the mud at the bottom of the lake, like flying kites, dragging the flowers to ripple on the lake surface..." The opening of "The Blooming of seaweed flowers - the heavy support and watch by the Erhai Lake" depicts the beauty of seaweed flowers.
However, during his first interview with Kong Hainan, Zhu Dajian felt "confused and just kept recording" as he talked incessantly about professional terms such as "seaweed flowers," "water special," and "soil purification tank.". Afterwards, after traveling back and forth between Shanghai and Yunnan and interviewing the Kong Hainan team for nearly a hundred hours, Zhu Dajian realized that the theme that this work should express was three: first, environmental protection comes at a cost, and developed countries would rather import than plant purple garlic that relies on abundant water and fertilizer, because the environmental cost is too high; Secondly, green mountains and clear waters are universal welfare for the people. The fresh air and green mountains and clear waters can make people feel relaxed and happy, breathe freely, benefit their health, and improve their happiness index - ecological priority, green development, and enjoyment for the people; Thirdly, by retaining green waters and mountains, one can transform them into mountains of gold and silver.
The innovative reportage format presented to readers in the end, "Blooming Seaweed - The Trust and Watch by the Erhai Lake," tells a touching story while also discussing China's ecological and environmental governance policies and measures based on the development of the story. It uses simple writing techniques to explain professional issues related to water ecological environment such as pollution prevention and control, biological habits, etc., using the disappearance and reappearance of Seaweed as a clue, combining narrative with popular science. At the same time, a large number of real-life photos and information images are inserted into the book, and the process of guarding the Erhai Lake is presented in a three-dimensional manner through multimedia forms such as QR codes and audio and video.
In order to control the water quality of Erhai Lake, Kong Hainan, born in 1950, led the teachers and students of Shanghai Jiao Tong University to root in Erhai Lake for more than 20 years, with white and black hair, and a clear Erhai Lake. As of the end of 2022, the water quality of Erhai Lake has been evaluated as "excellent" for three consecutive years, and the transparency of the lake has increased to the highest level in nearly 20 years. "The recovery of seaweed flowers in the Erhai River Basin indicates that the governance of Erhai Lake has entered the stage of ecological restoration, which is very gratifying." Kong Hainan said that the story of seaweed flowers is a story of China and its experience.
"Professor Kong is very remarkable. He is known as the 'Shanghai Professor with White Hair' by the people of Erhai Beach. He devoted the rest of his life's hard work, emotions, and wisdom to that land," said writer Zhao Lihong.
"The construction of ecological civilization is a systematic project, and the value of this book lies in revealing the systematic nature of ecological civilization through the case of Erhai Lake governance." Wang Lan, President of Shanghai Yanhuang Research Association, said that Shanghai documentary literature has a tradition of writing about scientists, and literary and publishing workers have a responsibility to shape the image of contemporary scientists and make low-key scientists known to the public.
In this book, Teng Junjie, a national first-class director and vice chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles, "reads about the sighs of nature, the awakening of humans, and the perseverance of scientists and local workers in the face of global challenges.". "Today, the poetic Erhai Lake has attracted a lot of attention, and it is' priceless' in terms of politics, economy, and culture. The effect of this work will also be long-lasting," said Teng Junjie.
The campus drama "Seaweed Blossoms" created based on this book will be performed by students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Yang Yang, Vice Dean of Shanghai Theatre Academy, believes that this story is worth promoting and presenting on stage and in more forms.
"The book 'Seaweed Blossoms - The Heavy Trust and Watching by the Erhai Lake' interprets the glorious achievements and heroic figures of Shanghai writers who record and praise this era, providing useful inspiration for further revitalizing Shanghai's documentary literature and realistic subject matter creation." said Wang Wei, Secretary of the Party Group of the Shanghai Writers' Association.
"Teacher Kong and I are of the same age. When we were young, we both went to the countryside and were the first batch of college students after the resumption of the college entrance examination. Our hearts are connected, and after writing this book, I became a fan of Teacher Kong." Zhu Dajian said passionately.
