Yang Ji, founder of Wanyang Zhenqin, a breeding center for rare birds in Qianwei village on Chongming Island, Shanghai, raises around 1,500 avians, many of which are rare or endangered species. GAO ERQIANG/CHINA DAILY

He then went to learn more about the trade with seasoned bird keepers and experts from zoos, working alongside them for days and observing how they raised the animals.

"The fodder for myna needs to be mixed with cooked soybeans, the hornbills love to eat strawberries, and the small fish that are fed to penguin chicks must be smashed and put in the fridge for three days so that it looks like what their parents would feed them," says Yang, when recalling of the tricks of the trade he picked up.

In 2011, Yang bought a small, deserted zoo in Chongming and renovated it before setting up his rare-bird breeding center.