Edited and translated by Xue Meng, People's Daily Online
Hol Xil, the "Paradise of Wild Animals", is the biggest "No Man's Land" in China. It encompasses an area of 45,000 square meters and is one of the most well-preserved natural environments in the world. On this land, 35 men from plateau have carried the burden of patrolling in the mountain for many years. They are isolated from the outside world, camping on the alpine zone with average elevation more than 5,000 meters, cracking down illegal wild hunting activities and saving natural animals. Since the 1980s, the number of Tibetan antelope has been decreased sharply from 200,000 to only 20,000, making the Tibetan antelope a world's endangered species. Since 1992, local government and people in Hoh Xil have been working on cracking down those illegal hunting. Despite the extreme difficult conditions, with the effort of the patrol team, the number of Tibetan antelope has recovered to 70,000. Just like one of the mountain patrol said, "Hol Xil has been imprinted on everyone's bones and in everyone's heart. Guarding this land is just like guarding our own home."