Mr Swan's uphill battle to save swans

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was an especially difficult time after Yuan received the Ford Motor Conservation and Environmental Grant of 200,000 yuan in November 2003. In a scene from "Mr Swan," a peasant runs into Yuan's shop demanding compensation because swans ate the wheat in his field.

He could not understand why swans could be as important as his wheat. He blames Yuan for the loss and considers it reasonable for Yuan to pay him out of his 200,000 yuan prize money.

"Right after Yuan got the award, many people thought he made money from swans. As an ordinary person I can't be of help, but at least, I can record and show people what I have seen and experienced," Sun says of his purpose in shooting the film.

Yuan was honored for his persistence and dedication in swan protection for 30 years at Rongcheng Swan Lake. It hosts 10,000 swans of all kinds from northern China, Russia, and Mongolia every winter.

In 1974, when Yuan was still in high school he joined the school's swan observation group, and swans have been the biggest part of his life ever since.

Yuan can still remember the first swan he saved back in 1980 when he worked in a ship maintenance factory.

"The situation has gotten pretty bad since the second half of the 1980s, largely due to tourism and industrial exploitations. Large power lines and filling in lakes broke the biological chain for swans," says Yuan.

In order to spend more time at the lake to search for wounded swans, Yuan quit his job and opened a small electrical repair shop at home.??In 2005, Yuan finally managed to set up the nonprofit Weihai Swan Protection Organization. The process was difficult because many people could not understand the need to protect the annoying, hungry birds. And it was also difficult with local government to negotiate for a permit - his struggles are depicted in the film.

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