Liang Congjie, founder of Friends of Nature, China’s first environmental NGO, and grandson of Qing Dynasty reformer Liang Qichao, has died at the age of 78. From Reuters:
Liang, a senior member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a group that advises parliament, quit his job at a state-owned publishing house to set up Friends of Nature in 1994.
“Mr. Liang played an irreplaceable role promoting ordinary Chinese’s participation in supervising pollution problems and protecting the environment,” Friends of Nature secretary-general Li Bo told Reuters.
“He practiced what he preached,” Li said.
Liang biked to work at the consultative conference every time, local media said.
At age 67, Liang travelled to Kekexili in Qinghai province to protect endangered Tibetan antelopes, media said.
