The hills of Qiantiantun village in Linghai city of Liaoning province are alive with the sound of nature. The fragrance of spring is in the air as acacia, elm, pine, and mulberry trees sprout all over the mountains, while egrets, herons, and night herons soar freely through the clear blue sky. The picturesque scenery of the village is in full bloom these days, attracting tourists from far and wide, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

The story of Qiantiantun's transformation is a testament to the dedication of its residents. In 1982, 27-year-old Tian Wangui and his 23-year-old wife, Lu Min, stood in front of a barren hill in the village, wielding shovels and determined to take on the challenge of reforestation. They have not stopped planting trees and protecting the forest since.

More than 40 years have passed. Their hair has turned white and wrinkles have crept onto their faces, but over 50,000 trees of more than 20 species now stand tall on the hills, attracting over 2,000 egrets to nest and breed, and transforming the once barren hill into a beautiful landscape known as "Luling."

Standing on the mountaintop, Tian and Lu cannot help but feel proud of what they have accomplished. "We haven't wasted our efforts," they said.

"In the early days of our contract, there wasn't a single tree on the mountain. My husband and I planted trees every day, carrying water up the mountain, taking care of every small tree like a child. When spring came, we bought seeds from the nearby forest farm and scattered them on the mountain one handful at a time," Lu recalled. "The first year was not successful, so we planted more the second year. We were determined to persevere on this barren mountain."

Every spring, the couple would patrol the mountain three or four times a day for fear of dry weather leading to wildfires. If it rained, they had to trudge up the muddy trail to check if the newly planted seedlings had been washed away. Once, Tian's foot got stuck in a thorn bush, and the wound swelled for over a week due to improper treatment.

As the mountain is located in the core area of the Jinling Reservoir in Jinzhou, the beautiful environment has become a gathering and nesting ground for many egrets.

In Lu's memory, around the winter of 2000, a few big birds flew to the mountain from an unknown direction. Some were pure white, while others were gray. "We didn't recognize them at first, so we asked our son who was in school to help us identify them. It turns out they are animals under national second-class protection, and more and more started appearing since then. Now there are over 2,000 of them," she said.

As a result of the large number of egrets and herons that nest here, Tian and Lu's hard work was recognized in 2022. The birds perched in the lush green forest have formed a unique landscape, attracting visitors to come and take photos.

Liang Yi, the head of Linghai's Cuiyan township, said: "We have built bird-watching platforms for tourists and put up bird science popularization billboards, which has encouraged more people to join the bird-loving and bird-protecting community. The improvement of the ecological environment has promoted the development of tourism and opened up a new path of rural revitalization for the villagers."