From a Single Tree to a Forest

In Hebei Province lies a vast forest. This green Great Wall reduces sandstorms greatly. But more than half a century ago, it was nothing but a barren land. 56 years ago, there was only one tree on this desert. Without it, there would be no miracle of Saihanba today. Saihanba is a combination of Chinese and Mongolian, meaning “beautiful highlands”. Until the Qing Dynasty, it was a royal hunting land because of its cool summer weather. However, the area turned into a desert by the end of the Qing Dynasty due to forest fires, deforestation and constant wars. Over 350 foresters were first sent to this area to fight the desert as early as the 1960s. Their duty was to rebuild a forest in Saihanba, but nobody knew if the goal was realistic. It was not until they found a 200-year-old tree, swaying alone in the wind, that their hope was raised. If one tree could survive here, so could millions of trees — such was their hope for Saihanba. After decades of hard work, the barren land is now a vast forest covering about 93,000 hectares. Recently the foresters working the land have received a famous UN environment award for their great contributions to a greener world. The award actually belongs to all the three generations of hard-working foresters.