Writer in Changbai forest

To Hu Donglin, a writer who won the National Excellent Literature for Children Award, Changbai Mountain is not an ordinary forest or tourism destination, but an extraordinary titan that carries uncountable living things.

Hu, who passed away on May 4, was the vice chairman of the Jilin Writers Association and had written popular children's books including Fox's Smile, Mushroom Class, and Virgin Forest Journals.

Hu was a Changchun native and is a Manchu. He always wore a smile on his face but when talking about the blind development of forested areas, he would stamp with fury.

To him, Changbai Mountain acts as a titan, joining hands with Qianshan Mountain in Liaoning province and Wanda Mountain in Heilongjiang province.

Changbai Mountain covers 8,000 square kilometers and provides an immense habitat for creatures large and small.

"The mountain also indirectly influences 100,000 square kilometers of area which have been impacted by smog and sand storms," Hu said, "I want to guard these places."

Visiting the forest as a writer

Hu first came to the forest on Changbai Mountain in 2007 to experience life in the forest to write his novel The King of Wild Boars. He carried four boxes of books and some daily-use articles up the mountain and started his new life.

He explored the mountains for six to eight hours every day, observing the landform of the mountain and living areas and territories of the wild animals.

To know about the Changbai ecological environment, Hu visited botanic experts at the Changbai Mountain Academy of Sciences and became friends with local hunters, ginger pickers, and herbalists, collecting common sense and hunting stories about the mountain.

Hu also set up a "forest office" with an office table, which was a 1.5-meter wide natural tree stump with four short logs placing around the table to be used as seats. He used to walk for 40 minutes to get to the table and write stories on it.

"There is an oriental dollar-bird singing in the trees over me every day when I write stories," Hu said.

"I felt like smelling the freshest and cleanest air in the world when I lived in the mountain, which makes me feel so comfortable and relaxed. These forest things can encourage my writing and inspire me a lot."

Forest Hu Donglin [Photo/Xinhua]