China News Service, Ordos, April 6th: Post-90s American youth planting trees on the Mu Us Sandy Land

　　China News Service reporter Li Aiping

　　On the morning of the 6th, American young man Ashton followed 58-year-old Chinese desertification control model Yin Yuzhen to the Mu Us Sandy Land in Wushen Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to continue planting Pinus sylvestris.

　　Wearing a sun hat and sneakers, the young American man worked with his hands, effortlessly loading the saplings onto the agricultural vehicle. Along with others, he dug a hole with a shovel, fixed the saplings, and then shoveled sand to bury them, all in one go.

Yin Yifan, an American young man planting trees on the Mu Us sandy land. (Photo provided by Yin Yuzhen)

　　"I was so moved by her (Yin Yuzhen) deeds that I gave myself the Chinese name Yin Yifan after her last name." Ashton's Chinese name is Yin Yifan. On the eve of China's Qingming Festival holiday, he took a train or car to the Mu Us Sandy Land. "I was very excited to see the green spots on the Mu Us Sandy Land in spring."

　　With a total area of ​​42,200 square kilometers, two-thirds of the Mu Us Sandy Land is located in Ordos. Previous news from China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration showed that after years of efforts, Mu Us Sandy Land, Hunshandake Sandy Land, Horqin Sandy Land, and Hulunbuir Sandy Land have been effectively managed, with forest and grass vegetation increasing significantly and the overall ecology improving.

　　Looking at the Pinus sylvestris trees standing in the wind on the Mu Us sandy ground, Yin Yifan was very excited and took a short video with his mobile phone.

　　Yin Yifan, 33, met Yin Yuzhen in 2014. At that time, he had just come to Harbin, China from the United States to teach English classes. He accidentally heard the story of Yin Yuzhen's desert control and decided to come to visit. Since then, he has come to Mu Us Sandy Land to plant trees with Yin Yuzhen almost every year.

　　During his ten years of teaching in China, Yin Yifan paid great attention to China's ecology. He feels that "in recent years, China has become green everywhere and is very beautiful."

　　Yin Yifan will leave Mu Us Sandy Land on the 7th and return to work. "Being able to witness the green development here (referring to Mu Us Sandy Land) is the most beautiful memory of my work in China." (End)