A 26-Year Transnational Friendship Blossoms in China's Desert Oasis

Par Zhao Jingfeng, Li Zhiyao, People's Daily

After 26 years apart, a friendship that transcends national borders has entered a new chapter.

On Aug. 23, following a journey of more than 30 hours including multiple flights and transfers, American Ronald Sakolsky arrived at Ejin Horo Airport in Ordos, located in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. There, he was reunited with Yin Yuzhen, a local hero renowned for her relentless fight against desertification.

As soon as Sakolsky came into view, Yin rushed forward from the arrival area. The two embraced in tears, sharing a moment they had waited 26 years to experience.

"More than two decades ago, we were just friends who happened to meet. But today, we are as close as brother and sister," Sakolsky said, his voice choked with emotion. "I want to express my gratitude to her for everything she has done for the environment."

Beside him, Yin was already overcome with emotion.

Their story began with a vast expanse of sandy land.

In 1985, after marrying into a family living in the Mu Us Desert in Inner Mongolia, Yin was confronted by immense, shifting dunes. She vowed that she would rather exhaust herself planting trees than let the desert take over, sparking a decades-long campaign against desertification and ecological restoration.

In 1999, Sakolsky, who was then teaching in China, learned of the vital work being done by Yin and her husband. Through a foundation, he raised $5,000 in donations to support their tree-planting initiatives.

Over the years, the seedlings—primarily fast-growing poplars and desert willows purchased with these funds—have matured into more than 50,000 trees, firmly rooted in the Mu Us Desert.

Yin never forgot this cross-border friendship. In May of this year, she tracked down Sakolsky online and successfully reconnected with him, inviting him to fulfill a shared "green commitment." Now, the long-awaited reunion has finally taken place.

To communicate with her old friend, Yin even began learning English, focusing on words of friendship and affection such as "brother," "thanks," and "miss." She was still practicing them repeatedly in her hotel room just before departing for the airport.

Sakolsky was equally excited about the reunion.

On the evening of Aug. 21, U.S. Eastern Time, he departed from Washington Dulles International Airport for Beijing, embarking on a 10-day trip to China.

As the moment of reunion drew closer, he felt both excited and nervous, describing it beforehand as feeling "almost like a dream."

"I want to see with my own eyes the forest Yin planted," he said. Although he had seen countless photos of it over the years, he noted that standing there in person, touching the trees, and planting a new one together would be an entirely different experience.

He also expressed eager anticipation for meeting former colleagues and students. "For more than 20 years, I have kept in touch by email with some of the Chinese students I taught. Whenever they make progress in their work or lives, many of them send me an email right away," he said.

After more than four decades of unremitting effort, Yin and her husband have gradually transformed approximately 4,667 hectares of desert into a vibrant oasis, which now awaits the fulfillment of their shared green commitment.

Combating desertification is not a one-person battle. Along the way, countless individuals like Yin have put down roots and devoted themselves to restoring the land.

Today, 85 percent of the Mu Us Desert has been brought under control. Since the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Inner Mongolia has completed ecological restoration projects covering approximately 8.47 million hectares and treated approximately 445,866.67 hectares of desertified land, marking the largest such effort of any region in China.

This reunion is not the end of their story, but a new beginning. In the coming days, Sakolsky will travel to the Mu Us Desert to plant trees alongside Yin and visit Luoyang in central China's Henan Province to reconnect with teachers and students from his former school.

"The reason Sakolsky and I were able to meet and become close friends, and the reason so many people have followed our story of combating desertification, is that we share a love for our common home, the Earth, and a shared dream of a greener world," Yin said.

"In this story, Yin is the real protagonist," Sakolsky added. "I also hope this story will remind people that no act of kindness is too small, and no good deed is ever wasted. If you truly believe something is right, then go ahead and do it."

Goodwill can cross mountains and seas. The green story of the Mu Us Desert continues, reminding us that protecting our shared home and advancing global ecological governance remain responsibilities we all share.