More than 1,000 years ago, when the great scholar Su Shi (1037-1101) visited the Red Cliff at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River with a friend, they marveled at the great changes that had taken place since Cao Cao waged a huge battle against Sun Quan and Liu Bei back in the Three Kingdoms Period (AD 220-280).

"Xiakou lies to our west and Wuchang to the east. Surrounded by mountains and waters, covered in lush green trees and grass, isn't this the place where Zhou Yu defeated Cao Cao?

"You and I go fishing and cut firewood on the islet. We find companionship in the fish and shrimp, enjoy the friendship of the Milu deer "

Milu, an aboriginal species in China, has been a symbol of the carefree life of the immortals for some 2,000 years. There were, at one time, so many Milu deer that the Chinese coined a funny name for it - "sibuxiang", or "none of the four alike" for its unique appearance - a horse's face, a donkey's tail, cow-like hooves and a stag's antlers.

But like many species that once roamed the earth freely, the Milu deer has been pushed to the verge of extinction by humans. However, it is also through the relentless efforts of humans that the deer has been saved.

Milu, which once populated the swamps of Central China, was nearly extinct by the mid-19th century. In 1865, French missionary and naturalist Pere Armand David discovered a few hundred Milu at the former Imperial Hunting Park of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in southern Beijing.