Efforts in place to ensure Yangtze finless porpoises' safe wintering in Poyang Lake

The ecological protection officers in east China's Jiangxi Province have supplied food resources for Yangtze finless porpoises inhabiting in the Poyang Lake on Thursday, as the country's largest fresh water lake has entered the low-water period of the year.

The Poyang Lake Aquatic Life Protection Center of Yugan County on Thursday put a total of 18,000 live bait fish such as four major Chinese carps and crucian carps into the gathering area of the critically endangered wild species.

"We released about 300 kilograms of 10-centimeter-long small fish which is the finless porpoises' favorite food. We will replenish water and relocate the finless porpoises according to the subsequent hydrological situation, so as to ensure that the animals will survive the winter safely," said Wan Shengben, office director of Yugan County Poyang Lake Wetland Ecological Protection Center.

The Yangtze finless porpoises are distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin, including the Poyang Lake, Dongting Lake and the mainstream of the Yangtze. Listed as a wild animal under national first-class protection, they are believed to be a vital indicator of the health of the Yangtze ecosystem due to their sensitivity to environmental changes.

A scientific investigation conducted in 2022 showed that the population of the Yangtze finless porpoises had rebounded to 1,249, of which about 492 were in Poyang Lake.

This autumn, the Poyang Lake entered the dry season ahead of time, and the water level hovered around 8 meters after it fell below the extremely dry water level line on Oct 9, which has greatly narrowed the habitat space of finless porpoises.

According to the preliminary results of the research of Yangtze finless porpoise in the Poyang Lake during the dry season, the habitat of the endangered species in the lake is gradually extending its range towards the waterways in the north and south and tributaries of the Yangtze River such as the Xinjiang River and Ganjiang River.

Efforts in place to ensure Yangtze finless porpoises' safe wintering in Poyang Lake

The Montreux Jazz Festival China opened on the shore of Jinji Lake in Suzhou on Friday, providing an audio-visual feast to jazz fans that flocked there and bridging the cultural exchange between the East and the West.

This is the third time for the event to be held in China, with this edition themed "When West Meets East".

Upward of 100 Chinese and foreign musicians staged more than 20 performances during the three-day event, covering various music styles such as jazz, rock, electronic music, and pop, creating a cultural feast for the audience.

"It's great to discover a small part of China, because in three days -- I won't see a lot, but I really like to see how Chinese people are enjoying music. Yesterday evening during the concert of 'Earth, Wind and Fire', everyone was dancing. It was really lively , and really nice to enjoy this music together. Through music, we can understand each other. Sometimes it's very difficult to understand each other through the languages, and also sometimes with cultural gap. But through music we gather everyone around the emotions and the pleasure to share this kind of moment. This is why we promote the cultural exchange, in Montreux in Switzerland and also here, of course, in Suzhou. So we are very happy, and we hope to, maybe, welcome emerging musicians from China in Montreux," said Viviane Rychner Raouf, secretary general of Montreux Jazz Artists Foundation.

The concert "Earth, Wind and Fire Experience" mentioned by Raouf was given by Al McKay, one of the world's best Rhythm and Blues groups, and it provided a swing party to spectators.

Swiss music promoter Claude Nobs, who died in 2013, founded the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1967 and built it into an international festival and event platform for music lovers.

Since its creation, the festival under its slogan "Where Legends Are Born" has seen many iconic live music performances.

World-renowned music festival held in Suzhou