Qu Geping has dedicated half a century to protecting China's environment. Over that time, while witnessing China's efforts to build a more beautiful nation, he served as its first chief representative to the United Nations Environment Programme and was also the inaugural director of China's State Environmental Protection Administration. Now, Qu is over 90 years old. This summer, Qu's close friend Wang Zhijia, a former special advisor to the UN deputy secretary-general, visited him at home. The two reminisced about the events that shaped their environmental protection journey.