American teacher's modest gift sparks forest revival in China's Inner Mongolia desert

In 1999, retired Pennsylvania educator Ronald Sakolsky donated $5,000 to Yin Yuzhen, a sand-control worker in the Mu Us Desert, after learning of her tree-planting efforts. The funding enabled the planting of saplings that have matured into a forest of 50,000 trees, some over 30 feet tall, in Inner Mongolia’s arid north. Sakolsky returned to China after 26 years and reunited with Yin, planting a “friendship tree” and receiving a sand jar and a cross-stitch as tokens of gratitude.

Chinese authorities have promoted the story as evidence of constructive U.S.-China collaboration on environmental issues, and Xi Jinping cited it during a dinner with Donald Trump. The forest forms part of the long-running “Great Green Wall” campaign, which has faced mixed results but remains a flagship climate initiative. Experts note that while the program has helped curb desertification, it also raises concerns about water use and impacts on nomadic communities.