On Shichahai Lake in downtown Beijing, dozens of wild ducklings have made their home, and the new scene is attracting more visitors to the picturesque lake.

These lucky ducklings have received good care since birth from their parents - and from Qu Xisheng, who had been called a "guardian of wild ducks" by the locals.

With Qu's help, the lake has become a favourite habitat for more than 100 wild ducks.

In the summer of 2000, Qu, who had begun to help out in his father's boat business in Shichahai, was surprised to find four wild ducks in the lake. "People hadn't seen wild ducks there for a long time. They were really rare visitors," Qu said. He hardly expected that these unexpected guests would bring great changes to his life.

Qu and his colleagues were pleased to have the wild ducks around. "They brought us great fun in the lake," Qu said.

Later, Qu discovered a duck's egg resting on one of his electroboats. To keep the egg safe, Qu drove the electroboat about 30 metres from the bank of the lake.

In the following days, the wild ducks laid more eggs on the boat and began to rest there frequently.

Qu and his father decided to help the wild ducks adapt to the area. They drove the boat to a quiet corner of the lake, removed the battery and constructed a simple bird's nest on the boat.

As he witnessed the increase in duck eggs on the boat, Qu became increasingly worried about the suitability of the boat as a habitat for the as yet unhatched ducklings.

Aiming to build a new haven for the wild ducks, Qu worked all through the night on his design - a floating "house" made of bamboo.

Early the next morning, Qu's construction caught the attention of the wild ducks and they soon took occupancy.

When winter came, there were more than 10 wild ducks living in the floating house, and within a year it was home to more than 50 wild ducks.

"I must make a larger house for my friends," Qu told himself.

Qu's new design featured bark-decorated roofs, wooden fences, two small shacks and six nests.

Over the past two years, Qu has spent several thousand yuan expanding the ducks' house to accommodate their growing families.

While previous winters were generally relaxing seasons for Qu, he now had to take care of the wild ducks everyday - even in freezing weather.

Fortunately, Qu has won more and more support from the public. The Beijing Birds Garden has helped Qu artificially hatch 400 wild duck eggs because it is very difficult to do it by natural means under the cold weather of this Spring. During the winter, many residents who were worried about the food supply for the wild ducks would often come to feed them. School students also joined hands to protect the environment of the lake.

"I believe that more and more people will come to join us to protect this environment," Qu said.

( China Daily June 7, 2002)