One man's quest to protect country's endemic species

From soldier to wildlife photographer, Shandong native advocates for conserving endangered animals through powerful, moving images in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

"Cease to struggle and you cease to live." This is the motto Ge Yuxiu lives by. "I am still not too old to move. I can still do something," he said while smiling.

The 68-year-old Shandong province native has lived in Qinghai province for 51 years. For almost half that time, he has been on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where he has devoted his life to photographing and protecting wild animals.

Despite serious heart trouble, Ge is determined to stay on the high-altitude plateau and continue to do something to help conserve wildlife in the area, which is sometimes called the "Third Pole" for the amount of water stored in its glaciers.