Illustration: Zhao Chunqing

Tales of giant ape man creatures such as Bigfoot and Sasquatch in North America and the yeti in the Himalayas are the stuff of legend and psuedo-science or cryptozoology.

There’s also a believer who has been combing Shennongjia, Hubei Province for the last 15 years in search of a Chinese Bigfoot – called yeren or barbarian.

Zhang Jinxing is the yeren hunter. The 54-year-old explorer and environmental protectionist origi nally from Shanxi Province began his quest at age 39.

In 1994, he came to Shennongjia, carrying 100-kilogram of equipment and simple necessities, and determined not to shave his beard unless he found traces of the legendary beast.

He survived on biscuits, instant noodles and mountain fruits, drank spring water and slept in a tent, living a hermitic existence in the deep mountains. However, the most difficult thing for him to conquer was loneliness.

“It seemed I could only hear insects chirping and birds twittering throughout the whole universe. There wasn’t even a single creature as big as I am. I felt so empty and lonely,” Zhang recalled.

Despite the hardship, Zhang never gave up. He completed his first-stage investigation within a year and a half, traveling to more than 20 villages and towns in Shennongjia and northwestern regions of Hubei Province and talking to thousands of local people.

Based on all the field investigations and local searches, he drafted 30 analysis reports and a 300,000-word final report.

When he first came out of Shennongjia in 1996, he himself looked like Bigfoot with 13- inch hair and beard.

His second-stage search started in August 1996, narrowed down to four key areas. Zhang still had no place to settle in and slept on rocks. Life was equally dangerous and uncertain until in 2000, with the help of a friend he set up a research camp in Shennongjia where he could store food reserves and cook meals.

With secured food supply, Zhang launched an even more extensive search and his efforts began to pay off.

He claimed to have found yeren traces 19 times, including scat, 100 pieces of hair and 3,000 footprints, with the largest footprint being 44 centimeters long. The latest traces were found in last August.

Although Zhang has never personally sighted yeren, he firmly believes in his existence and his search continues.