Chinese Woman Tracks Down American Man To Show Him 50,000 Trees Grown From His Help

A Chinese woman who has spent decades planting trees in the deserts of Inner Mongolia has contacted an American man who donated US$5,000 to support her work years ago. She has invited him to visit a forest that grew from the saplings bought using his donation, reported the South China Morning Post. Yin Yuzhen, 60, was recognised as a National Model Worker by China's State Council in 2000 for her long-term efforts to fight desertification.

Born into a poor family in northwestern Shaanxi province, Yin married a man living in the Maowusu Desert in Inner Mongolia during the 1980s. The desert, also known as the Ordos Desert, is one of China's four major sandy lands.

Since then, Yin and her husband have continued planting trees in the desert despite difficult conditions such as drought and strong winds.

In 1999, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Yin's efforts. The report moved Ronald Sakolsky, who was teaching English at Luoyang No 2 Foreign Language School in central Henan province at the time. He donated US$5,000 to support her work.

Yin told The Paper that she had never seen such a large amount of money before and said the donation surprised her. She explained that she used the money to buy more saplings and plant more trees.

Recalling Sakolsky's visit, Yin said he saw her planting trees in the desert and looked at the land covered with yellow sand. She said he shook his head and repeatedly said it was impossible.

According to Yin, those saplings have now grown into more than 50,000 large trees.

In early May, Yin asked the Henan school to help find Sakolsky. On May 17, the school's vice-principal Bai Fan called him and informed him that the saplings had grown into large trees.

During the phone call, Bai said that Yin Yuzhen and her family invited both him and Sakolsky to visit the forest in Inner Mongolia. Bai also said the family missed him and were looking forward to seeing him again in the desert.

Sakolsky responded by saying the invitation would be awesome and added that he could not wait.

Yin also invited him to return to China to witness how the US$5,000 he donated years ago had turned into a large forest.