Green friendship between Chinese and American take root in Maowusu sandy area

(ECNS) --Standing in the Maowusu sandy area of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Yin Yuzhen spoke emotionally into her phone to her old friend thousands of miles away in the United States, Ronald Sakolsky.

"You are my brother. I used the $5000 you donated to plant a forest. When will you come and see it? I really want to see you," Yin said.

"I will try," Sakolsky replied. Speaking slowly in Chinese, he added, "I want to come back and plant a tree with you."

Yin told China News Network that Sakolsky described the afforestation results as "a miracle" and plans to return to China this summer or autumn. For her, the bond spanning mountains and oceans represents a rare "green friendship" between two ordinary people from China and the United States.

Yin's story began in the 1980s, when she moved from northwest China's Shaanxi Province to deep inside the Maowusu sandy area, then plagued by fragile ecology and frequent sandstorms.

 

In 1999, Sakolsky, then a foreign teacher in China, learned through media reports about local efforts to combat desertification. He raised $5,000 to help Yin purchase saplings.

A year later, Sakolsky traveled to the sandy area to meet Yin in person and learned about the progress of sand control efforts. After Sakolsky returned to the U.S., the two gradually lost contact, but Yin never forgot his support. Over the past two decades, Yin and her family have planted trees across barren sands, restoring more than 70,000 mu (about 4,667 hectares) of desertified land into a green oasis.

On May 16, Yin posted a short video online to express gratitude and invite Sakolsky back. The video went viral, and with the help of organizations and netizens, the two were reunited online after more than 20 years.

Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng shared the story on social media, saying that a kind heart can help grow a forest, and calling it a living testament to goodwill between the two peoples.

He added: "May there be more 'Sakolskys' between China and the United States, and may the forests of our friendship continue to thrive."

The Inner Mongolia People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries has formally invited Sakolsky to revisit Inner Mongolia and witness the transformation of Maowusu from desert to oasis. Yin said they would plant a friendship tree together. Yin has prepared a handmade gift, a pair of traditional embroidered insoles, for her old friend.

(By Gong Weiwei)