Mountain Stargazer: Chinese farmer finds new worlds among stars

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03:10

From hills of ripe fruit to starry night skies unlike any other in the area, farmers from Golden Mountain in central China's Hubei Province seem to be enjoying all the gifts that mother nature has to offer. CGTN's Ren Xueqian explains how one villager in the region is making the best of such natural wonders.

A fruit farmer by day, and an astronomer by night. While most of the villagers on Golden Mountain are getting ready for a good night's rest, for Zhu Jieming, the most exciting part of the day is only just beginning.

With a telescope that his son bought him, Zhu was able to see for the first time what lies in the darkness and what he saw only made him more curious about what's waits beyond the clouds.

ZHU JIMING LIU CUN VILLAGER "I was so excited when I saw the moon's craters for the first time. Setting up the telescope to watch the sky became the only thing that was on my mind after I finished other chores. Soon after, I started thinking about taking pictures of what I saw in the telescope."

Determined to learn more about astrophotography, Zhu joined every online astronomy chat group he could find and anyone who knew anything about the subject became his teacher. But the process of learning and discovery was not without its challenges.

ZHU JIMING LIU CUN VILLAGER "I've only had a middle school education and I didn't even finish 7th grade. I don't understand English, and I often forget what I learn the day before."

But this didn't stop Zhu from striving to find out more about his newfound passion, even if it meant learning things one unfamiliar English phrase at a time.

TU SIKONG ASTRONOMY ENTHUSIAST "The people teaching Zhu how to use the tools to take pictures speak Chinese, but the tools are in English. So if Zhu didn't understand something, regardless of the language, he'll draw it down and force himself to remember it, and in the process, remember the steps he needs to use the tools."

Zhu's love for the skies has even spilled over into his marriage. His loving wife now often joins him on his nightly stake-outs. And she's the first to admit, they're not without a little hint of romance.

ZHU JIMING'S WIFE "One time he told me he didn't have anything to give me so he gave me a picture of rosette nebula that he took. I shared it on WeChat and everyone liked it. Not many farmers can take pictures of stars like that."

After eventually learning how to take his own pictures of the moon, Zhu has now moved on to photographing heavenly bodies like Saturn and Jupiter. He says he's also fine-tuning his skills to shoot images deep-space too, an objective which he says tops every astrophotographer's must-shoot list.

ZHU JIMING LIU CUN VILLAGER "There isn't much to do in the mountains, so studying astronomy keeps me busy. When I think about all the great photos I can create, it gives me motivation to get through all the chores in the day."

As Zhu slowly perfects his skills, there is no telling how far his deep-space exploration might take him in. One thing, though is certain. That he's sure to keep watching the skies. RXQ, CGTN.