Dozens of wild ducks play cheerfully by the banks of Shichahai island.

The picturesque view and the island breeze are natural beauties - but the island is surprisingly artificial.

Qu Xisheng checks the health of two newly-born ducks on the wild duck island he built on Shichahai.

Made by local businessman Qu Xisheng - the island is for his "children", a group of wild ducks that live around the lake.

Nine years ago, 40-year-old Qu followed his father's footsteps by operating tour boats on Shichahai and one day was surprised by two birds flying high and elegantly overhead.

"It was the first time I had seen wild ducks and I was told that there was no safe place for them to lay eggs around the lake," said Qu.

The next day, he spotted two large eggs on his boat and saw two ducks stop near them from time to time. Feeling sorry for them, he left the boat in the center of the lakes instead of renting it out to guests.

A couple of weeks later, Qu was saddened to see the eggs spoiled on a floating board and had to throw them away while listening to the sad song of the two birds. He decided at that moment he would build the birds a home.

He fixed a bamboo raft on the surface of the water and used straw to build several little shacks, which later became a shelter for more than 100 wild ducks. Many even stayed on in winter to avoid the icy conditions outside.

"I was shocked to see wild ducks circling closely one by one in the cold water to melt the ice and expand the pool by using their feathers and body," Qu recalled.

He also hired helpers to smash the ice, especially on freezing cold nights and installed an underwater pump to create waves and prevent the water from freezing.

As more wild ducks made their homes in Shichahai, Qu expanded the rafts from 20 sq m to 90 sq m - and eventually rebuilt it to a 200-sq-m island.

Many passers-by and groups of schoolchildren enjoy strolling along the lake to feed the ducks. One child even donated a wild goose and later, swans and Mandarin ducks joined the growing collection of birds.

In order to protect the new-born ducks, Qu stays on their island the whole time and is constantly on alert to ward off birds of prey, who often attack little ducks. He also has to fight poachers eager to catch them to taste the "wild flavor".

In 2003, Qu was rewarded by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for his outstanding work to save animals and promote animal welfare.

Now he is busy helping residents in Tiantongyuan, one of the largest residential communities in Beijing, to build a similar island in their park.

(China Daily August 12, 2008)