Recently, staff at Guangzhou's Liuxi River National Forest Park spotted the Teinopalpus aureus —one of the world's rarest and most prized butterfly species and a first-class protected wild animal in China — during a field biodiversity survey, to the delight of the research team.

The Teinopalpus aureus is extremely rare, found mainly in China, Laos and Vietnam. Its striking crescent-shaped golden spots and curved golden-green bands make it highly prized for its beauty, and butterfly experts worldwide have long called it the "dream butterfly."

Mrs. Lü / Intermediate Engineer / Guangzhou Liuxi River National Forest Park Management Center:

"The butterfly wasn't afraid of people at all — he flew around above our heads and stayed for a long time, letting us take photos. We were thrilled."

Mr. Shi / Senior Engineer / Guangzhou Liuxi River National Forest Park Management Center:

"The female-to-male ratio of the Teinopalpus aureus is highly skewed — roughly 1 to 50–200. Widespread illegal hunting worldwide has left the species very rare. It prefers habitats with clean water, fresh air and little human activity. Its presence here indicates a healthy ecological environment."

Covering more than 8,000 hectares with over 80% forest coverage, Liuxi River National Forest Park is known for its towering mountains, dense forests and scenic beauty, and has recorded traces of rare mammals such as the Chinese pangolin and the leopard cat. This marks the second consecutive year the park has captured footage of the Teinopalpus aureus. Going forward, the park will continue improving its ecological environment, with the aim of providing a more comfortable "home" for rare wildlife.