Birding is no longer seen as a hobby for elderly people. According to the association, some 43 percent of the bird-watchers in that report were aged between 18 and 35. Since the country's first birdwatching organization was set up in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in 1996, more than 130 registered birdwatching organizations have come up in the country.

During the ongoing pandemic, which has made traveling difficult, birdwatching has been an easy way to connect to nature and avoid crowds. Local birdwatching organizations hold balcony birding activities to lift people's spirits from the increasing uncertainties and risks related to the pandemic.

The official WeChat account of the association says: "Birdwatching is your lifetime ticket to the theater of nature."

Rundan got that "ticket" at 9 when her father took her for a visit to the Wushan Mountain scenic spot near her home.

"It was the first time I felt the beauty of birds, flying through the trees," the girl says, adding that when birding she carries a plastic bag to pick up trash.