Bird songs woke me up at around six in the morning, reminding me of a talk about birds on our way to the picturesque county of Meitan in Zunyi, northern Guizhou province.

A local friend of mine shared his observations about a thriving family of turtledoves and the ever-expanding flock of migrant birds that visit their neighborhood each year. He was adding new evidence, besides the sweet air I had been greedily breathing in, of Guizhou's fine environmental superiority before a humble Beijinger.

From provincial capital Guiyang on, as we reached deeper northward into the territory of Zunyi, my colleagues and I found ourselves constantly in awe it was such a luxury to travel in the embrace of the boundless green of the misty rolling hills, though our schedule had no room for sightseeing.