The Great Zoo of China Read Online Free PDF Page A

are hundreds of zoos, why does the world need another one? Indeed, what can China do with a zoo that has not already been done before? Ladies and gentlemen . . . this is what we can do.’
    At that moment, the speeding bullet train burst out into brilliant sunshine and CJ found herself staring at an awesome sight.
    The train zoomed out across a vast trestle bridge that spanned a gorge four hundred feet wide and five hundred feet deep. While spectacular, however, the gorge was not the sight that seized her attention.
    On the far side of the gorge sat an absolutely colossal landform that resembled a volcano, with high slanted walls that appeared to enclose an immense valley. It appeared to be rectangular in shape, its sides stretching away into the distance for many miles.
    A towering mountain peak poked up out of the centre of the rectangular crater, a storybook pinnacle.
    And flying around that peak, gliding lazily, their wings outstretched, were seven massive animals, animals that were far larger than any flying creature CJ knew.
    Even from this distance—and the train was still at least a few miles from the crater—CJ could clearly make out their shapes: sleek serpentine bodies, long slender necks and, most striking of all, enormous bat-like wings.
    Five of the creatures must have been the size of buses while two were bigger still: they each must have been the size of a small airliner.
    ‘Good lord . . .’ Wolfe said, mouth agape.
    ‘Holy Toledo . . .’ Hamish gasped.
    CJ couldn’t believe it either, but there they were, lifted from myth and flying around in front of her.
    She was looking at dragons.

    ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ Hu grinned. ‘Welcome to our zoo. Welcome to the Great Dragon Zoo of China.’

Fairytales cleanse and sanitise what were once true stories.
    In fairytales, knights are chivalrous, clean-shaven and wear shining armour—when in truth they were swarthy, filthy rapists and thugs. Castles are bright and gay when in truth they were grim fortresses.
    If dragons were real, then in all likelihood they were not graceful, high-chested, noble creatures; rather they would have been dirty, ugly, reptilian and mean.
    —CRAIG FERGUSON, THE POWER OF MYTH
    (MOMENTUM, SYDNEY, 2013)



A s the train rushed toward the crater, Deputy Director Zhang quickly put on a new blazer.
    It was bright red in colour, just like his old one, but it bore a different logo on the breast pocket: a gold dragon inside a gold circle, with the Chinese flag filling the background. Ringing the circumference were the words: THE MIGHTIEST AND MOST MAGNIFICENT PLACE ON EARTH .
    Red information folders emblazoned with the same logo were handed out.
    CJ felt both intrigued and misled. A carefully prepared switch had just been executed by her hosts right in front of her eyes.
    She also felt a twinge of anger when she saw the smug CCTV reporter, Xin Xili, and her crew filming CJ’s surprised reaction. Xin’s snide remark about CJ not being one of the world’s leading experts on large reptiles for much longer echoed in her mind.
    Hu Tang affixed a Great Dragon Zoo of China lapel pin to his jacket and said, ‘I must apologise for all the fake branding at our train station and on our people’s uniforms, but it has been necessary to keep our zoo a secret for so long. As you will see, it is worth it.’
    About five minutes later, the bullet train pulled into a station in front of the main entrance to the Great Dragon Zoo of China.
    The entrance building was magnificent.
    Jutting out from the front face of the immense crater, it was a glorious white building that looked like a cross between a castle and a spaceship. It must have been forty storeys tall. Two high-spired towers shot skyward from its roof, framing the central edifice.
    The structure’s marble walls were glittering white and perfectly smooth. They shone in the sunlight. And there wasn’t a sharp corner to be seen on the thing: it was all sweeping curves of marble, glass