Immersing in Nature｜Reflections on the 2025 Roots & Shoots YES Camp

At five in the morning, I was awakened by the loud and long chirping of cicadas outside, with the cooing of Spotted Doves faintly echoing in my ears — as if they were telling me, “Welcome home.” But my heart still seemed to linger in Nanjing, at that place where “life meets life.”

Our first stop was the mysterious area of Hongshan Forest Zoo — the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. There, a pair of adorable little turtles caught my attention. They stretched their necks happily in the water, peeking curiously as if to say, “Welcome, my friends!” The gurgling water poured down over their heads like a waterfall.

Mr. Chen, head of the center, said, “There’s no ‘mascot’ animal here — every animal here is treated equally.” Indeed — even if they are never displayed, they are still cared for tenderly and gently, as if living in the nature.

In the afternoon, three Eurasian Wild Pigs in the native species exhibit area posed a puzzling question to us. They strolled and ate leisurely, their little tails joyfully curling in circles. Why do wild pigs elsewhere flee from humans, yet these remain calm and composed? Upon closer inspection, we noticed their enclosure was built as a slope — the lowest point aligned with the visitors’ area, while the highest point towered two to three meters above. They felt so safe here！

Imagine these wild pigs proudly standing atop the slope, looking down at the “two-legged human visitors” — would they grin knowingly? What is equality? It begins with seeing each other eye to eye — on the same level.

The second day’s enrichment for gibbons was the most delightful activity of the camp. We were divided into small groups — some cut fruits and , others stuffed food into bamboo leaves, while a few tied the bamboo sticks. “Oops, my banana got squashed!” “This bamboo branches are tied too tight — they can’t get the food!” As we worked, one teammate joked, “Wait, are we enriching them, or are they enriching/entertaining ourselves?” “Haha! Looks like enrichment goes both ways.”

Soon, we had a dozen bamboo “dumplings” ready. Within just five minutes, they were tossed into the gibbon enclosure. A gibbon with sharp eyes swung swiftly over on the ropes. It snatched one of the fresh bamboo dumpling from the ground, clutched it between its legs, and started fiddling with it. It dug out the food, and smugly licked its fingers while munching.

They really loved our enrichment toys! We gazed at them with the fondness, as if seeing our own children devour snacks.

The third night’s firefly walk felt like stepping into a dream. In the pitch-dark forest parks in the Lao Shang mountain, one moment a soft yellow lantern would light up here, and the next, another over there. Tiny lanterns landed on our palms, tickling and blinking — as if lighting our path through the night.

Looking into the distance, the scattered lights increased — dots connecting into lines, and lines into glowing patches. They were like fallen stars, weaving a breathing ribbon of galaxy across the night.

In the darkness, I felt like I had turned into a firefly too, glowing gently…

On the fourth day, as we prepared to part, we were reluctant — reluctant to leave the mentors who had eyes full of light and hearts full of love. They were our guides, opening door after door to the natural world, teaching us to observe not just with our eyes, but with our hearts — the beauty of insects, the charm of animals, and the vastness of nature.

Thankfully, I was not alone — me and my companions/friends had walked this journey together, laughing and talking, seeing the best of ourselves in one another.

That afternoon, we sat on a hill covered in little yellow flowers, guided by the R&S facilitator, Rebecca, to seek out the tiny unseen wonders of nature and turn them into poetry and art. Some lay lazily on the ground, some leaned against trees, smelling the flowers in the breeze, listening to the insects whispering. As for me, I touched the soil and felt its warmth from the sun…

We are all children of nature, nestled in the embrace of Mother Earth.

To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour.