American and Chinese plant forest together in desert
A friendship spanning over two decades between American Ronald Sakolsky and China's Yin Yuzhen began with Yin's tree-planting project in the Mu Us Desert. Sakolsky donated funds to establish the forest, and they recently reunited.
American Ronald Sakolsky, known to his Chinese friends as "Sai Kaosi," has cultivated a deep friendship with China's Yin Yuzhen for over two decades. Their story began in 1999 when Sakolsky, then a history teacher in China, saw Yin Yuzhen on television working to plant trees in the Mu Us Desert.
Deeply moved, Sakolsky donated $5,000 through a charitable organization to support Yin's afforestation project. In the spring of 2000, he traveled to China to witness Yin's efforts, which seemed an impossible task at the time. Today, over 50,000 trees grow there, in what Yin has named the "Sai Kaosi Forest."
Sakolsky recently visited China and reunited with Yin for the first time in 26 years. During his visit, he saw firsthand the forest that had grown from his donation. Their friendship was symbolized by a jointly planted evergreen tree.
Since returning home, Sakolsky has been sharing his experiences and the story of his friendship in his home country, emphasizing people-to-people exchanges. He believes that the fundamental human goodness and shared values of Americans and Chinese, such as love for family and desire for peace, form a stronger basis for relations than national differences.