In the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum's sleek, futuristic atrium, a primal drama in the amber glow of twilight jumps into view.

A lynx, its body a taut arc of pure kinetic ambition, launches toward a hare whose frantic escape blurs the line between creature and dust. As this slide flickers onto a screen, the audience, a gathering of the world's leading conservationists, scientists and artists, falls into a collective hush.

"In the piercing clarity of their locked gazes lies a shared, desperate yearning for life," Zheng Yongchun, head of the museum, says about the work Claw and Heartbeat by Chinese photographer Lu Lin.

"In this frozen, silent instant, one can almost hear the pounding heartbeats of predator, prey and photographer alike. Credit goes to the photographer, whose 10 months of patience made it possible for us to witness this life-and-death moment," Zheng adds.

It was an emotional and artistic climax of the 2025 China Wildlife Image and Video Competition award ceremony held in mid-January in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province.

In just six years, the event has transformed from a domestic showcase into a global platform seeking to define how the natural world is seen, documented, and, ultimately, protected.

Its mission was on display in this year's theme, "The Unreachable Realm".