In early July this year, China's State Council issued a plan for building a Beautiful China during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), setting out the overall requirements, targets, key tasks and major projects for comprehensively advancing the initiative. At the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress, in March, China's national legislature adopted the Ecological and Environmental Code of the People's Republic of China, which opened a new chapter for systematic environmental governance. The code formally took effect on August 15, 2026.
The chapter of "Women's Contributions in the Eco-environmental Field," in the white paper, China's Achievements in Women's Well-Rounded Development in the New Era, records data and cases that systematically and vividly present Chinese women's contributions to ecological protection and green development. Women of China shares several stories about Chinese women, who have contributed to enhancing ecological and environmental protection in China, and to fostering the building of a Beautiful China.
This article focuses on the story of the Women Tree-Planting Team in Changjiang Li Autonomous County, south China's Hainan Province.
In the white paper, China's Achievements in Women's Well-Rounded Development in the New Era, released by the State Council Information Office of China in September 2025, the chapter of "Women's Contributions in the Eco-environmental Field" states, "The Women Tree-Planting Team in Changjiang Li Autonomous County of Hainan Province has been dedicated to planting more than 6 million coastal defense trees, establishing a forest spanning over 2,000 hectares in the desert after 30 years of trial and error."
Qizi Bay, located in Changhua, a township administered by Changjiang Li Autonomous County, regularly has temperatures reaching 40 C during the summer months. The annual level of precipitation there is normally 700 millimeters.
The Women Tree-Planting Team was established in Changhua Township in 1992. During the following three decades, Tao Fengjiao, head of the team, led rural women in planting nearly 6 million casuarina trees on the once-barren desert, consisting of shifting sand, along the coastal area. The women helped transform the desert into a forest-like "miracle."
Says Tao: "Several experts from Germany had visited Qizi Bay before, and they thought it would be impossible to improve our ecological environment. But we refused to give up!" Each woman on the team often carried about 65 kilograms of saplings on her shoulders, and the women walked barefoot across the scorching sand.
Supported by her "fellow sisters," Tao developed effective methods to plant certain types of trees on shifting sand. Forestry departments, from other coastal cities or coastal counties, have since invited Tao and her team to teach their tree-planting skills. Today, Qizi Bay is widely known as one of the "top-10 most beautiful bays in Hainan."
In 2017, the Women Tree-Planting Team in Changjiang Li Autonomous County was named a "Moving Hainan Collective of Special Tribute." In February 2021, a memorial hall was established and formally opened, in Changhua Township, to promote stories about Tao's team. Tao has even volunteered to work as a docent at the memorial hall.
"We used this bucket to water saplings. This shovel is for digging holes. During the early years, we had very limited resources. We had to mend our hats and baskets, time and time again, if they were broken ..." Tao tells visitors. She shares the team's stories, as she points out the various tree-planting items exhibited in the memorial hall. The hall has hosted students, of various ages, during study tours organized by their schools. Many of the students have shed tears as they have listened to Tao sharing her team's hard experiences. "The students examined carefully our team members' photos. They learned the significance of ecological protection. I hope more and more people will learn about our stories, so we can pass the spirit of our team to future generations," Tao says.
Throughout the decades, Tao has received various honors, including National March 8th Red-Banner Holder, Exemplary Individual of China's Ecological Civilization Award, and National Model Worker. In June this year, she was named an "outstanding Party member of Hainan Province." Tao cherishes the most recent honor, which will inspire her to better shoulder her responsibilities, both as a Party member and a team leader.
"This afternoon, let's go plant more trees." Tao says she is happy to hear about such phone calls between her "fellow sisters."
"I will continue planting trees with them, as long as I can," Tao says. Tao's children have inherited the tree-planting spirit from their mother's generation. Both of her sons work as forest rangers in Changhua. They have followed in their mother's footsteps, and they have helped protect the ecological environment of the coastal region.
Photos from Liao Chuansong and Changjiang Li Autonomous County's Integrated Media Center
(Women of China English Monthly August 2026)
Editor: Wang Shasha
