"The heavy rain continued for 20 minutes and everyone was completely drenched, but my determination-and, I believe, that of everyone else in the boatto protect the porpoises and the waters they inhabit grew even stronger," Tan says of the experience.

The association formed a team called "saving the smiles of finless porpoises", which teaches environmental protection at organizations, factories, schools and communities, guides student societies from around the country on field trips and hosts writing and painting contests to raise awareness about the animal.

She has led more than 100 educational field trips-from primary school level to university students-in the Dongting Lake area, informing them about the finless porpoise or helping them research the local ecology.

He Jiujiu, a local middle school teacher who has taken students on field trips with Tan, says: "She has made nonprofit ecological preservation her vocation and fervently devoted herself to it. She loves the finless porpoise and has been an active protector of the species, hoping to raise public awareness, concern and love for the animal. I find her remarkable."

Tan says preservation of the finless porpoise is key to protecting the whole ecosystem of Dongting Lake and the greater Yangtze River water network.

"We aim to inform and influence more young people with our determination to protect the finless porpoise, so as to raise society's awareness about ecological protection and finless porpoise preservation," Tan says.

"In the future, I will continue to build our team and maximize its efficiency. As I have engaged in this career, I will work with energy, and hope to steadily improve my ability and grow with this public welfare cause."