presents

“Green China”

by

Professor Heather Angel
on

Tuesday, 16 December 2008

3F, British Council, 3 Supreme Court Road
(this venue is next to Pacific Place, 5 minutes from Admiralty MTR)

Please note that this event is being held jointly with the British Council

Drinks Reception 6.30 pm; Lecture 7.30 pm

We are delighted to welcome to Hong Kong, Professor Heather Angel, one of the world’s most distinguished wildlife photographers. Professor Angel’s lecture is about her newest and most ambitious book, Green China, and all the thrills and spills involved in producing one of the greatest photographic portraits of the country. Professor Angel, who has been coming to China regularly since 1984 to document its abundant natural diversity, has captured on film the rich and varied habitats of China with their associated wildlife for some 25 years.

Recently, she made seven month-long trips to produce Green China, capturing the nation’s forests, wetlands and coastline. In her journeys, she passed through verdant bamboo plantations, traversed scorching deserts and captured wildlife as varied as the endangered golden snub-nosed monkey, the Chinese sturgeon and the giant salamander. Her voyage of discovery extended from frigid forests outside Harbin at 46ºN to humid tropical rainforests on Hainan at 18ºN. She also entered spectacular caves, explored wetlands and coasts, as well as climbing mountains in search of plants told of by local plant hunters. She is also going to talk about her experiences in China over the last 25 years, her years as a marine biologist and capturing wildlife on film generally.

Green China images showcase a selection of the rich species diversity nationwide: from giant pandas, Amur tigers in the snow to gaudy pheasants and peacocks, as well as exquisite alpine flowers that together celebrate China’s natural heritage. Relating her experiences and the stories behind the photographs, Professor Angel highlights the efforts being made to save endangered species such as Eld’s deer on Hainan Island, the giant salamander, as well as the work involved in the reintroduction of Père David’s deer and the Przewalski’s horse. For most of the photography, she travelled by jeep, but sometimes she had to make do with whatever local transport was available; from bamboo rafts, motorised sampans and high-speed boats to horses, cable cars and even a bamboo sedan chair.

Professor Angel’s passion for China stemmed from several trips to Wolong to photograph pandas which culminated in three books about China’s national treasure – the giant panda. She first visited Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan on the south-west edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in 1985, when she stayed in the sole guesthouse. Since it became a World Heritage Site, tourism has exploded and this unique valley with stunning blue lakes, separated by travertine dykes, is now a tourist den, attracting 1.5 million visitors a year – bringing added pressure to the wildlife.

Professor Heather Angel has been at the forefront of nature photography in Britain for more than a quarter of a century. She is Professor of Photography at Nottingham University and her work has been recognised by many worldwide honours and awards, including an honorary Doctorate of Science from Bath University. Professor Angel was President of The Royal Photographic Society from 1984-1986.

Members and their guests are most welcome to attend this lecture.