Immersing in the waters of iconic Lijiang

I received my advanced diving certification three decades ago and logged my last major dive sometime in early 2000, so there was some hesitation from the lack of practice when I was offered an opportunity to explore the Lijiang River underwater in Guilin as part of my latest assignment.

But when diving instructor Tang Junwen, who was leading our three-man team to help record the biodiversity of this iconic waterway, said I was probably the first foreigner to look at the Lijiang in this way, I knew I was right to take the plunge.

It was a warm, sunny afternoon. The calm waters of the river reflected the dense vegetation lining its shores. This was a quiet inlet, shielded from the tourist vessels and local fishing rafts that plied one of the top attractions of the tourism-centered city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.