Xie Yonghong (R) introduces a self-designed breeding tailwater treatment facility at a bullfrog breeding base in Heba Town, Datong Lake District of Yiyang, central China's Hunan Province, July 10, 2023. Located on the central region of the Dongting Lake, Datong Lake is known as "the heart of the Dongting Lake".

Xie Yonghong is the head of the Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Researchers conduct studies on the ecosystem of the Dongting Lake wetland in this station, which was founded in 2009. Xie Yonghong has played an important role during the establishment of this station since its preparation phase in 2007.

Since 2009, Xie Yonghong and his team have taken root in the Dongting Lake wetland and committed to maintaining the local ecological balance and biodiversity for more than a decade. From the age of 36 to 50, Xie Yonghong has gradually become a scientific researcher focusing on scientific researches providing support for economic and social development and led other team members to withstand challenges and guard the Dongting Lake.

Dongting Lake, known as "the kidney of the Yangtze River," is the second-largest freshwater lake in China and one of the most important wetlands in China and the world. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)