Ronald Sakolsky, a 69-year-old retired teacher from Pennsylvania, recently returned to China for the first time in 26 years and was stunned to see what had become of the once-barren landscape he had helped support. A stretch of desert in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region has been transformed into a lush forest containing around 50,000 mature trees.Sakolsky was teaching English in China’s Henan province in 1999 when he came across a television report about Yin Yuzhen, a farmer and “sand-control worker” who had begun planting trees in the Mu Us Desert, also known as the Maowusu Desert.Yin had started planting trees more than a decade earlier after moving to the desert region following her marriage. Determined to make her surroundings greener and combat the harsh environment, she continued planting trees despite the difficult conditions.
Ronald Sakolsky reunites with Yin Yuzhen after 26 years. (Photo: Getty Images)
Moved by her story, Sakolsky raised $5,000 and sent the money to Yin to help her plant more trees. The amount was many times her annual income at the time.The pair met in person in 2000, when Yin promised that she and her family would take care of the saplings.More than two decades later, Sakolsky returned to China after Yin launched an online campaign earlier this year to track him down.“Seeing it with my own eyes, that was the biggest surprise,” Sakolsky told Chinese state media. “I saw pictures, I was told all about it, but until you see it is when you realize that it’s real.”
From desert to forest
During his 10-day visit last month, Sakolsky reunited with Yin in the forest that had grown from the tree-planting efforts he had helped support. The trees now reportedly stand more than 30 feet tall, and the local government has named a grove after him.The two also planted a friendship tree together. Sakolsky collected a jar of sand to take back to Pennsylvania, while Yin gifted him a cross-stitch bearing the words, “One Earth, One Dream.”“I want him to know that I kept my word, and that Chinese people keep our promises,” Yin said.She called Sakolsky her “brother” and said she believed the tree they planted together would still be standing tall when they meet again 26 years from now.
A friendship story promoted as a climate message
From desert to forest: a remarkable friendship across borders. (Photo: Getty Images)
Chinese authorities have highlighted Sakolsky and Yin’s story as an example of cooperation between China and the United States, particularly on issues such as environmental protection and climate change.The story was also mentioned by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state dinner toast in Washington, where he described it as an example of friendly exchanges between the two countries.Reports of Sakolsky’s reunion with Yin have received significant attention on Chinese social media, with some commenters describing him as “a real friend of Chinese people.”
China’s ‘Great Green Wall’ campaign
The forest is part of broader tree-planting and desertification-control efforts in China. The country’s so-called “Great Green Wall” campaign was launched in 1978 as a decades-long effort to combat desertification and reduce sandstorms.However, experts have noted that the campaign has had mixed results.Judith Shapiro, who teaches in the Department of Environment, Development and Health at American University, described the initiative as a “great initiative in principle” while noting concerns over China’s emphasis on top-down environmental targets.In the programme’s early years, fast-growing and water-intensive trees such as poplars were widely planted, which contributed to pressure on water supplies in some areas. More suitable and biodiverse species are now being used, according to Shapiro.
Sakolsky calls for more people to plant trees
Sakolsky also connected his experience in China with the wider challenge of climate change.Speaking at a news conference in Beijing, he expressed sadness over devastating flooding in the Nepal-China border region and said environmental damage affects the entire planet.“I know now the world is alive, and if I keep throwing paper on the ground or if I keep letting trees die, I am killing the life of the world, which means I am actually killing mankind,” he said.Sakolsky believes his experience with Yin can inspire others to take small steps toward environmental conservation.He urged people who were moved by their story to “go out and plant one tree.”“If everybody plants one tree in their backyard or in their park after watching this,” he said, “can you imagine how many trees we would have in the world?”
