Red-crowned cranes in Zhalong National Nature Reserve in Heilongjiang Province are fed on August 17. More than 5,000 people are to be relocated from the nature reserve to protect a colony of these cranes, a species with a population of only 2,000. The red-crowned crane is an important symbol in Chinese mythology, representing longevity and immortality. Zhalong, covering 210,000 hectares, is China's largest artificial breeding center for the cranes and home to about 20 percent of the world population. (WANG SONG)