Chinese Sand-Control Model Worker Calls on American Friend to Go to China and See the Trees He Helped Plant
"I'm eager to see Ronald Sakolsky again. I want to tell him that the 5,000 U.S. dollars he donated have grown into more than 50,000 towering trees," said Chinese sand-control model worker Yin Yuzhen during an interview in Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on May 17. She said she often thinks of the people who helped her along the way, and Sakolsky is one of them.
Yin Yuzhen was planting saplings at Mu Us Sandy Land. (Ecns)
"When I was at my most difficult moment, he gave me a large sum of money that allowed me to buy so many high-quality saplings. I have never forgotten it and will always keep it in my heart," Yin said.
Earlier, a video of Yin Yuzhen calling out to her American friend Sakolsky from afar drew widespread attention online. In the video, she sincerely said: "Hello, Mr. Sakolsky. If you can see this video, I sincerely invite you to return to China and take a look at this green forest that grew from the U.S. dollars you donated…"
In the 1980s, Yin Yuzhen moved from northern Shaanxi to marry into the depths of the Mu Us Sandy Land in Uxin Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia. At that time, the area was engulfed in endless sandstorms. Overnight winds could bury walls and block doors, and homes were constantly threatened by the encroaching desert. To protect her homeland, she embarked on a journey of combating desertification — a commitment she has maintained for 40 years.
In 1999, media reports about Yin Yuzhen's efforts to plant trees in the desert and defend her home deeply moved Sakolsky, an American who was teaching in China at the time. Through a charitable foundation, Sakolsky donated 5,000 U.S. dollars to Yin.
After receiving the donation, Yin spent all of it on purchasing saplings and planting them in the sandy land. Not long afterward, Sakolsky made a special trip to the Mu Us Sandy Land to visit her.
"At that time, he ate a bowl of handmade longevity noodles in my home. I hope Mr. Sakolsky lives a long and healthy life," Yin recalled. To commemorate this cross-border kindness, she specially planted four pine trees and erected a monument in gratitude. More than 20 years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the once tiny saplings have now grown into towering forests, firmly protecting the land and water of the region.
Yin Yuzhen's simple yet steadfast dedication has also inspired more people overseas. Moved by her story, American young man Yin Yifan went to the Mu Us Sandy Land in 2015 and recognized Yin Yuzhen as his elder sister. Over the past decade, he hasvisited China almost every twoyears and personally planted more than 2,000 pine trees.
Lyu Shaofang, a 76-year-old Chinese American who taught at two U.S. universities before retirement, also traveled from California to the Mu Us Sandy Land after hearing Yin's story. She recently planted four saplings there herself.
Data shows that 8.3939 million mu of sandy land in Uxin Banner, Ordos, have now been restored with vegetation, with the desertification control rate reaching 85 percent and forest coverage increasing to 32.92 percent. What was once a land ravaged by blowing sand is now lush with grass and trees, where birds and wildlife thrive, and the desert has been completely transformed. Since the beginning of summer, Yin Yuzhen has been hoping that Mr. Sakolsky will revisit the place and appreciate this vast forest nourished by both hard work and goodwill.
Gai Zhiyi, an economist from Inner Mongolia, believes that Yin Yuzhen's story of combating desertification has touched overseas friends because she is an ordinary rural woman who, despite harsh conditions, spent decades greening the desert through her own efforts and created an ecological miracle by turning sand into an oasis. "This kind of perseverance, purity, and long-term dedication carries a life force that transcends cultural and regional differences. It aligns with the shared global vision of ecological governance and has ultimately inspired people from many countries to cross mountains and seas to China to protect greenery together," Gai said.
It is reported that after receiving the "invitation", Sakolsky has already made plans to go to China and visit this forest nurtured by kindness. （Ecns)