Monkeying Around

by+Xueshan+Jingling

Ding Kuanliang has visited the Qinling Mountains a total of 49 times. When he is there， he begins climbing the mountain every morning at 3：00 a.m.， with heavy photographic equipment on his back. After about four hours of hiking， he arrives at the habitat of golden （or snub-nosed） monkeys and attempts to capture images of the agile primates. During his most recent trip， after a week of waiting， Ding found over 30 monkeys in the trees facing the cliffs and pointed his camera at the adorable animals.

Dings fascination with golden monkeys can be traced back to 2002. That October， Ding ventured to the Qinling Mountains to photograph the giant panda. After two weeks of wandering around， he had only discovered a few footprints and panda dung. The animal has a good sense of smell and will quickly evacuate the area if they sense human activity. Against the backdrop of Qinlings high ranges， deep valleys and 3 p.m. sunset， about 60 monkeys appeared among golden leaves dancing in the wind. Their appearance seemed like fate for Ding. He instantly began snapping pictures of the jumping sprites. Their graceful movements， pretty light blue faces and funny snub noses left agreeable imprints on Dings films. Since then， he has sought out golden monkeys for his photography. Over the past 13 years， Ding spent every vacation lugging 20 kilograms of photography gear to primary habitats of the mammals. He hopes his photos capture the beauty of the nature， inspire more passion for it， save natural resources and create a better environment for wild animals.