Interviewing Hua Shi,the writer of A Trip to the Zoo Is Serious Business

With tickets at a mere 40 yuan,a price that hasn’t gone up in 11 years,and with no animal shows and an emphasis on animal welfare,Nanjing’s Hongshan Forest Zoo is China’s one and only completely self-sufficient public zoo—which just so happens to be one of the top animal parks in the country.But its managerial and administrative success story notwithstanding,the COVID-19 crisis has left it in tatters,saddled with more than 30 million yuan in debt.The zoo has found itself amidst something of an existential crisis.Hence,the topic of how a modern zoo makes a living caused a big stir in the country.

Pop-science author Hua Shi toured 41 cities visiting 56 zoos over the space of four months,live broadcasting and putting together ideas for a book published under the name,A Trip to the Zoo Is Serious Business,which was selected for the Capital Library of China’s recommended reads list for the year 2020,as well as China’s top books of the month list.

Wuhan native Hua Shi has a microblog on Sina Weibo with 4.25 million fans and is the netizen director of the Wuhan Zoo.In mid-January,2021,I had an exclusive interview with Hua Shi and gained a lot of insights on his zoo visits.

The zoo appears in many pupils’ school essays and many parents’ “special playtime”activities.Hua Shi himself admitted thatA Trip to the Zoo Is Serious Businesswas written out of a sense of “fun.” Penning the book was the fulfillment of a lifelong wish,but there is also a bit of an ulterior motive that came into play—to attract public attention to the zoos,as well as to help facilitate the future development of the zoo industry.

门票40 元、11年不涨价，拒绝动物表演，重视动物福利，南京红山动物园是国内唯一一家自收自支的公立动物园，也是中国国内最好的动物园之一。然而，这家动物园，去年因疫情影响，亏损3000多万元。红山陷入生存困境，一时间，现代社会的动物园应该是怎样一种存在的话题，引发社会关注。

科普作家花蚀花4 个月时间，跑了41 个城市，逛了56 家动物园，边直播逛动物园边整理写作，出版了《逛动物园是件正经事》这本书，入选首都图书馆2020年最强书单，入选中国好书月榜。

花蚀是武汉人，微博拥有425万粉丝，是武汉动物园的网民园长。2021年1月中旬，记者采访了花蚀，听他讲如何逛动物园。

逛动物园，出现在大多数小朋友的作文里，以及家长的“遛娃”日程表里。花蚀承认，《逛动物园是件正经事》是一本“玩”出来的书。他写这本书，一方面是完成夙愿，另一方面是想引发大家关注动物园，帮助动物园这个行业往前发展。

花蚀说，普通人借助网络或影片可以迅速“浏览”野生动物，但体验不丰富，比如没有气味。很多哺乳动物都会用气味标记领地、传递信息。狗的肛门腺分泌的臭味，让人难以忍受；熊狸散发出的气味，有人形容是奶油爆米花的味道。这一点他在看电视时早知道了，但直到他在云南野生动物园才真的闻到这样的气味，实在是太神奇了，如果不是亲密接触熊狸，是不可能感受到的。

上海动物园的科普小推车里有很多动物的标本，可以看，更可以摸。实物触摸带来的感受，远超观看。……