CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- This scenic campus is a tourist attraction! Founded in 1870, Chongqing Jiangjin Jukui High School is densely wooded and home to thousands of egrets. When egrets return at dusk after foraging, the tranquil wood next to the teaching buildings comes alive. It’s almost time for evening study, and the evening sunlight is shining on the innocent faces of the children...

There are around 800 large trees, 240 ancient trees over a hundred years old, and more than 190 state-protected trees on campus. Surrounded by green trees, the teaching buildings and dormitories are filled with the sound of students reading aloud. Groups of birds sit on the branches, which look like beautiful white flowers from afar. What a “forest campus”!

Yang Bo, director of the school office, said, “I heard from the retired teachers that the birds had settled in the school before they worked here.” Perhaps the school was the previous house of those lovely birds.

“Black Mountain Rocks” constitute this garden of birds. There are various species of egrets on campus, such as Egretta garzetta, Ardea cinerea, Ardeola bacchus, Nycticorax nycticorax, and Bubulcus ibis. They live here in spring and leave in autumn. The number of egrets can reach one thousand in June and July every year

The umbrella on a sunny day is not used for shading in Jukui High School. When you carelessly pass under a tree filled with egrets, you may be hit by birds’ droppings. The teachers and students call it the “White Flower Prize” and joke that those hit by birds’ droppings will pass the examination. Some new students may not understand the “romance” of “white flowers”. “A student felt scared and cried out when a bird deposited its droppings on him,” said a teacher. He added the students are not angry with those lovely birds and they enjoy the company of birds on campus.

The birds at the school are bold, and they often stroll idly in the hallways and by the windows. An egret once flew into a classroom where students were taking examinations, stood on the podium, and stared at the students. This moment was recorded and shared by netizens online, earning it the title “proctor”.

As the most unique cultural tourist attraction in Chongqing and even across the country, Jukui High School has attracted many bird enthusiasts. Over the years, it has become the unwritten rule of the school to love and cherish birds. Birds and people are seen together everywhere on campus. Visitors can take beautiful photos of egrets with their phones.

The rising number of egrets on campus indicates an increasingly sound environment of the school. Zhou Xiaomei, member of the Chongqing Birdwatchers' Association, is a regular visitor to the campus. The strong awareness of animal care among students and teachers, coupled with the dense vegetation and abundant food sources, are what make this place an excellent shelter for birds, she said. She believed that this should be the most vivid embodiment of the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)