7:30 in the morning.
The zoo wasn't open yet, but a man had already arrived at the entrance.
He was dressed in a dapper black trench coat, with a camera in a black leather case hanging on his chest, a black felt hat on his head, and long white hair swinging behind him, incredibly flamboyant.
If Lü Jiamu's unkempt hair made him look somewhat like an artist, this man exuded an artist's aura so strongly that one glance would make you think he was involved in the arts.
And in fact, that was indeed the case!
Zhuang Xiaobai was a young painter with a bit of fame, whose main subjects were natural landscapes and various animals.
Lately, he had been troubled, feeling that his creativity had hit a bottleneck and wanting to experience some new scenery, he had posted on Weibo asking his fans for suggestions on where to go for inspiration.
Some fans suggested he should visit the remote deep forests on the border, looking for tigers and leopards, saying that a painter needs to face danger head-on, to cultivate his mind in life-and-death situations, and that if he could make it back alive, his painting skills would definitely breakthrough, maybe even reaching the heights of a master.
Zhuang Xiaobai was speechless!
Though artists need to constantly expand their horizons and find inspiration, he was a painter, not an explorer. He usually just visited the scenic spots around the city, nowhere near bold enough to risk his life in the dense forests to seek traces of wild animals.
He wasn't very excited about any of the recommended places; while he was feeling indecisive and depressed, he saw a fan mention that there was a really nice Linhai Zoo in their area, and they sent him a few photos.
Zhuang Xiaobai had visited quite a few zoos, but how could he get inspired by the cold concrete cages, the lifeless atmosphere, the visitors who occasionally fed the animals trash, and the depressed animals performing under duress?
For someone with such sharp observational skills, he could more keenly feel the animals' suffering; a visit would leave him unsettled and melancholic for days, let alone create good artwork.
The photos of Linhai Zoo were completely different!
The environment seemed beautiful and full of life, the animals spirited and adorable; he was immediately captivated and after private messaging the fan to ask for more details about the place, he decided to come here to find inspiration.
The tiger exhibit is a must-see attraction. If you can only choose one exhibit to visit, you can skip the red pandas, but not the tigers: First, the outdoor area is large, with a beautiful environment, adorned with various beautiful trees, and a lovely crescent moon pond, where the tigers play and swim when the weather is hot.
Then there are the tigers! A very beautiful big tiger, and cute white tigers too. There is an area on the lawn equipped with toys, meant for the white tigers to play with.
I've always believed that a zoo that doesn't actively promote conservation isn't really a zoo, and Linhai Zoo does a great job in this respect. The information boards in the tiger exhibit are very comprehensive and detailed.
After seeing them, I was deeply moved, and I wonder when we humans can truly achieve harmony with animals.
...
Zhuang Xiaobai, looking at the guide, couldn't wait to start the tour!
As for which exhibit to visit, since he arrived so early today, he had plenty of time to tour them all.
At that moment, the zoo gates were opened by the staff, and several chatting retirees perked up. They pulled out their annual passes, which were actually little booklets, and queued up to enter. Stay updated via empire
The ticket seller glanced up at him: "Adult ticket, one for 30, do you want to pay by scan or cash?"
"Scan."
Zhuang Xiaobai tapped his phone, brought up the payment code, beeped it on the collector machine, scanning of course being the more convenient option.
He casually inquired, "Why did those elders just go through without buying a ticket?"
The ticket seller handed him a ticket, replying deftly, "They have annual passes, one for 200. It's more economical if you come often. If you want to buy one, just prepare your ID card and a one-inch photo without a hat in advance."
Zhuang Xiaobai said politely, "Thank you."
Today, he was just here for an initial visit to check things out!
If he liked the place, he might stay in Linhai for a while longer, so buying an annual pass wouldn't be a problem.