| Yin Yuzhen walks on her way to patrol the forest in Salawusu Village, Uxin Banner, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, May 20, 2026. In recent days, Yin Yuzhen, a national model worker in Maowusu, the fourth-largest sandy area in China, has drawn widespread attention after posting a video online in search of a U.S. friend, hoping to show him the forest that he'd helped create. Yin's friend, Ronald Sakolsky, taught at a school in Luoyang in 1999. After watching the sand-control story of Yin on television, Sakolsky was so moved and decided to donate 5,000 U.S. dollars to her cause and travel to meet her in the sandy area. Since Yin planted the first sapling in 1986, over 70,000 mu (about 4,667 hectares) of sandy land in Maowusu has been dressed in green. "I will do my job well and guard the green forest for our shared dream and a better planet," said Yin. [Xinhua/Lian Zhen] |
