Liu Jun's most-treasured possession is a pair of binoculars. For the past 12 years, he has carried them with him almost wherever he goes. During spring and autumn, the fireprone seasons, he picks them up once every 15 minutes during daylight and once an hour at night.

Through the binoculars' lenses, the color green fills Liu's eyes. Scanning the expansive woodland, he keeps a watch for the slightest hint of smoke that could wreak havoc.

Liu is a fire watcher. His job is to keep an eye out to ensure that any smoke that comes into his field of vision does not become a forest fire.