Monkey guardian set to branch out

In 2013, when he quit his job in the northern port city of Tianjin, Wei Xingzhi simply wanted to travel and see the world. He didn't imagine that he would stay in one place for almost 10 years mainly for one thing — to help protect Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys.

Before he became a volunteer for the species' protection in Yunnan's Yulong county, the 36-year-old knew nothing about the animal.

Born and raised in an area with a wide expanse of flat land in Henan province, Wei had limited opportunities to visit mountains. After majoring in mechanical automation and business administration at university, he worked as an executive in charge of five electrical appliance chain stores for a company in Tianjin.