A prancing sea horse is one of the images taken by Xu Yitang. CHINA DAILY

An online program on young people's career choices spotlights a coral conservationist, Xing Wen reports. In 2014, a sophomore student at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts went with friends for a birthday celebration to Beijing Zoo.

Little did he know that a chance encounter at the aquarium there would ignite a lifelong passion. As Xu Yitang gazed upon clusters of vibrantly hued corals of intricate shapes basking in the glow of the tank's light, a sense of wonder washed over him. Lost in the beauty and mystery of the creatures, he spent the entire afternoon in front of it.

Fast-forward to today, Xu, a Beijing native, has relocated to the tropical island of South China's Hainan province, where he serves as a coral conservationist for a Sanya-based tropical biological laboratory affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

A captivating sea slug is one of the images taken by Xu Yitang. CHINA DAILY

Each day, he spends several hours diving deep under the waves to observe and document the growth and development of the creatures that captured his heart all those years ago.

Xu, who goes by the moniker "coral man", is actively engaged on such social media platforms as Sina Weibo, where he regularly shares visually stunning photos and entertaining videos of corals. He aims to encourage individuals to take action in protecting coral reefs and the oceans as a whole from the destructive impact of climate change and human activities.

For Xu, who had been studying Peking Opera since childhood, becoming a coral conservationist was an unexpected turn of events.

After he first saw corals at the aquarium, he began to frequent the local market to learn about coral farming from merchants who sell ornamental plants, fish and corals. He also searched for information on relevant forums online. Before long, he had set up a small fish tank at home and started cultivating a coral.

"The coral organism is quite fragile and has extremely high requirements for water quality," recalls Xu. "When I started growing coral, its state was not good."

Xu, originally from Beijing, has relocated to Hainan to be a professional conservationist and he and his colleague often dive to monitor corals. CHINA DAILY

While pursuing his passion to protect corals, he met his life partner, Liu Xiwen, through their shared hobby of diving in Hainan.

"Unlike many young people who care about their outfit and appearance, he is solely focused on protecting corals," says Liu about Xu. "Despite his skin peeling from spending long hours in the seawater, his attitude is different from what I've seen in most young people in Beijing, and it's attractive to me."

The couple have been invited to share their stories in the recently premiered online program Burning Youth that aims to use documentary shorts and in-depth studio interviews to present the inspiring stories of young Chinese people from various walks of life.