The reason why he is so happy – his suggestion to protect the peach
blossom jellyfish was approved in record time.
"I submitted an urgent suggestion to protect one of the most
precious animals in the world, the peach blossom jellyfish. They
showed up again in a water area of Kaling River in Beibei district
of Chongqing
municipality this spring, after a long period of absence."
"The jellyfish are called peach blossom jellyfish because they
usually come up to float on the surface of water during the period
that the flower blossoms."
"The origin of the fish can be traced back to 50 million years
ago, so the fish are also called the grandfather of dinosaurs.
Their reappearance is a good sign, indicating that the water
quality of Kaling River has improved a lot."
Local citizens often caught these small fish to put in their
houses.
Liu Minghua learned of this bad news on the trip to Beijing to
attend the annual NPC session.
He was worried about these living fossils. "I know there is
little time left to reverse these unhealthy habits. On the plane to
Beijing I wrote an urgent suggestion, and the proposal group of
Chongqing cut the normal procedure short to send it back to the
related region in the middle of the night."
On the second day, two laid-off workers were reemployed to
patrol the water
area, protecting the beautiful jellyfish until May when they will
sink into the deep water.
Liu Minghua was pleased when he heard this from accompanying
reporters.
"This is my happiest event during this NPC session, and my
urgent suggestion has been taken up in less than 48 hours' time. I
am composing a formal proposal to make a law to protect this lovely
creature."
When asked why he, a professor studying Chinese, put forward a
proposal to protect the jellyfish, he told the reporter that "I
attach much importance to issues on education and ecological
balance. So I am concerned about the news of reappearance of the
peach blossom jellyfish. It is exciting. But after a few days, news
came that many people were catching them. I think I should stand up
immediately to protect them. "
(CRI March 10, 2004)
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