Our WildChina Explorer Grant judges have deliberated long and hard to choose the final winner. Congratulations to Yunnan-based Star Chaser Dongrui Yu, the 2016 WildChina Explorer!
This year’s applications for the WildChina Explorer Grant were some of the best we have ever received. The 5 finalists, as chosen by you, proposed projects that ranged from creating rock climbing routes in Xinjiang all the way to documenting a culinary journey across Western China. Our judges had a tough decision to make and after much deliberation over the images, videos and written applications provided by our finalists, Dongrui’s passion to preserve China’s starry night sky was the project that stood out.
Dongrui believes that everyone has the right to see the stars in the night sky, yet sadly, due to light pollution from the country’s rapidly growing cities, for many Chinese people a starry night is a thing of the past. For the past 4 years, Dongrui has been on a quest to promote the importance of preserving this sight for future generations and it is a passion that has taken him all over the world.
The project Dongrui will embark on with WildChina will take him back to where his passion began – to his home province of Yunnan. He will travel throughout the region and, using state-of-the-art film and image equipment, create a star map of the province.
Dongrui hopes that this project will not only bring awareness to the global community about the importance of preserving the beauty of the night sky but he also sees his trip as an important part of his bigger plan – to find a perfect location in Yunnan in which to create a dark sky reserve – an area with absolutely no light pollution, where generations to come can go to enjoy the beauty of the night sky.
We are excited to be joining Dongrui on this adventure and will be broadcasting updates live via our social media channels while he is on the road. Keep an eye out for updates from Dongrui as he sets out on his quest for the stars.
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The WildChina Explorer Grant is an annual travel grant that helps empower young adventurers to achieve their exploration dreams. To receive updates regarding the WildChina Explorer Grant 2017 email explorergrant@wildchina.com
