Lianhua Mountain in Shenzhen, a alpine banyan standing against the wind, canopy pavilions.
Back in time ten years ago, December 2012.
For the first time after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to Guangdong, the forefront of reform and opening up.
Plant this tree on the landmark Lotus Hill.
At home and abroad, we observe a road from a tree, and from it, we can perceive what kind of development path the new generation of Chinese Communists will take.
From Shenzhen to Beijing, every spring in the past ten years, choose a tree planting spot, shovel to cultivate soil, and water the cofferdam.
White Bark Pine, Xifu Begonia, Ginkgo Biloba, Peach, Elm Plum, Dwarf Yew... In the flow of time, the tree rings engraved with the imprint of China.
Trees are witnesses of the years, telling the story of man and nature.
For thousands of years, paper made from trees has carried the leisurely civilization, beams and pillars made of trees have built thousands of homes, and the culture of trees has nourished the spiritual blood of the Chinese nation.
The old locust tree in Shanxi connects the roots of hundreds of millions of Chinese sons and daughters.
"Afforestation and greening is a cause that has merit in the present and benefits in the future. It has to be done year after year, generation after generation, roll up your sleeves and work hard." In the past ten years, the general secretary has led us to plant trees together.
Accompanied by the spring breeze and spring rain, Yin Yin entrusts to stir up the earth and infiltrate people's hearts.
The story of the harmonious coexistence of man and nature has become a common narration of all people; the story of green development is being vividly interpreted on the land of China in the new era.
Ten years of persistence, showing the unswerving direction
Governance must be constant, governance must be constant.
After the spring equinox in 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping took half a day to participate in the voluntary tree planting activities in the capital in Fengtai District, Beijing.
The location is chosen on the banks of the Yongding River, the "mother river" in Beijing.
Carrying the fragrant spring breeze of the soil, he picked up the shovel, and the general secretary strode to the tree-planting point.
This scene overlaps with the footage of carrying shovels and doing farm work in Liangjiahe in northern Shaanxi decades ago, which spans the long river of time.
The footsteps are solid on the yellow earth.
The mountains are high and the water is long, and the true colors remain the same.
There are so many memories of youth in Liangjiahe's fields, on the slopes and under the trees.
Later, Comrade Xi Jinping went to work in Zhengding, Hebei, then to Fujian, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. Along the way, "I have always attached great importance to the work of the ecological environment" and "take this work as a major task."
"What a barren land, even rocks and cliffs, it can break out of the ground, intertwined, and proud of the sky."
In a postscript titled "Let Banyan Trees Benefit Banyan City," Comrade Xi Jinping praised the tree's tenacious vitality.
During his work in Fujian, in the face of the problem of soil erosion control in Changting, Comrade Xi Jinping visited Changting five times one after another, trying to change the local development model of getting poorer and more digging.
Planting trees, he also took the lead in setting an example, leaving behind a green.
At that time, afforestation was in the ascendant in China.
The stars have moved, and the Chinese have planted with both hands the extraordinary achievement of the world's largest increase in forest resources and the largest artificial afforestation area.
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of voluntary tree planting, China came up with an amazing answer: the forest coverage rate has increased from 12% in the early 1980s to 23.04% now, and the green coverage rate in urban built-up areas has increased from 10.1% to 23.04%. 41.11%.
All great achievements are the result of continuous struggle.
In the spring of 2015, when planting trees in Sunhe Township, Chaoyang District, Beijing, General Secretary Xi Jinping said earnestly: "We must strengthen green awareness, strengthen ecological restoration and ecological protection. This is a historic moment."
Traveling on a historically significant time node, how far you can see and how stable you are.
Yu Village, Anji, Zhejiang Province, is a mountain village well-known both at home and abroad for its "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets".
In the 1990s, the local development model was still cutting down trees and mining.
The results are predictable.
In the summer of 2005, Comrade Xi Jinping, then secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, came to Yucun, and the scientific conclusion of the "Two Mountains Theory" was finalized.
From "selling stones" to "selling landscapes", the change in the mode of economic development also affects the fate of each tree.
China's ecology has rolled out potholes under the rut of rapid growth.
It took decades to complete the industrialization process that developed countries have gone through for hundreds of years. "The responsibility of the era to build an ecological civilization has fallen on the shoulders of our generation."
There is a sense of crisis and urgency throughout.
When planting trees as early as 2013, while talking about the achievements, the general secretary even warned of shortcomings: "We must clearly see that my country is still a country with a lack of forests and greenery, and a fragile ecology. A long way to go.”
Under the huge inertia of development, a giant ship needs wisdom to turn its course, and it also tests courage and perseverance.
In recent years, there are often trees in the background of General Secretary Xi Jinping's inspections.
Ancient trees with deep roots and luxuriant leaves, fruit trees full of fruit, or tree pits left after being felled, withered trees on a barren gravel.
In Qinling, Shaanxi, the general secretary sternly described the illegal villa as "a mirage, the moon in the water." When he climbed the Moon Hill, he stared at the lush mountain forest for a long time.
There is hope for the new tree born to the sun.
In the Xiongan New Area, Hebei Province, looking at the rows of saplings fluttering in the wind, General Secretary Xi Jinping lamented the power of time: "Let them grow slowly with the Xiongan New Area."
I am in awe of the old trees that have experienced the wind and frost.
In the hinterland of Xiaoxing'anling in Heilongjiang, looking up at the towering trees, the general secretary felt the flow of time: "The river is endless, and I never give up day and night."
The greatness of a great country also has the weight of a great country.
"The construction of ecological civilization is one of the "five-in-one" overall layout. In the basic strategy of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, adhering to the harmonious coexistence of man and nature is one of the basic strategies. In the new development concept, green is one of the basic strategies. One of the major concepts, pollution prevention and control is one of the three tough battles." The overall plan and long-term strategy show China's clear attitude towards nature and the relationship between man and nature in the new era.
In just ten years, time has flown by.
The concept has changed, the way of thinking is new, the pattern is wider, and the landscape of the mountains and rivers is also completely new.
Take the two tree planting sites in Beijing in 2015 and 2016, one in Sunhe Township, Chaoyang District, and the other in Xihongmen Town, Daxing District.
Farmers' markets and mixing stations in the past have all been demolished and turned into green spaces. Villagers have moved into new homes one after another, turning a new page in their days.
The profound changes in the tree-planting sites are just the next vivid cases in the magnificent chapter of state governance.
The way is right, so don't be afraid of the distance.
Anchor the target and move forward one step at a time.
This is the distinctive style of the Chinese Communists, and it is also the deep impression China has left on the world.
In 2020, the new crown pneumonia epidemic struck violently.
That spring, General Secretary Xi Jinping did not change the established tree-planting schedule, leaving an unusual photo of tree-planting wearing a mask.
When planting trees, he kindly said to the cadres and the masses who were working together, this time: "It is not only to promote economic and social development and speed up the restoration of production and living order with practical actions, but also to advocate the concept of ecological civilization that respects and protects nature, and promotes the harmony between people and people. A harmonious coexistence of nature.”
Ten years of hard work, bringing together the strength of hundreds of millions of people
On April 3, 2015, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the tree planting site in Sunhe Township, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
When reviewing the activity plan on the eve of tree planting, the general secretary gave clear instructions on the adjustment of the plan:
"It is the leaders who go to the masses and participate in labor together, not the masses to accompany the leaders."
"The tree-planting point should be selected in the afforestation plan, and the place where the masses will plant trees should not be arranged separately."
"Don't deliberately level and decorate the ground, it doesn't matter if there are potholes or overgrown weeds. Use ready-made shovels and buckets."
"The tree species should be selected according to the planning and the actual needs of the plot, not precious seedlings."
…………
The tree planting that year left a deep impression on the cadres and the masses at the scene: "The ground is uneven, the mud is mixed with bricks, and a shovel goes down, and it makes a loud noise. The shoes are also covered with mud." "I originally planned to buy new ones. We have shovels and buckets, but the leader said we can use ready-made ones, and it doesn’t matter if they are old. We borrowed shovels from nearby greening sites and villagers’ homes, and some of them have gaps. It is a 'sapling' of Yishui, which is easy to support and easy to grow into. The saplings are placed on the trolley, and the leaders and the masses move together."
"Our roots are rooted in the working people." The simple words are a vivid portrayal of General Secretary Xi Jinping's personal actions.
The cadres and the masses who planted trees with him can still recall those details many years later: "The general secretary looks like an old-fashioned way of doing farm work." "He wears a blue jacket, and the collar at the back is washed white."
The conversations are also commonplace.
Yin Jinfeng, a community worker in Hujialou Street, Chaoyang District, said: "What the general secretary asked and talked about was what the common people were most concerned about, community greening, green travel, energy saving, water saving and food saving, and home care for the elderly."
"The general secretary asked if all the villagers went upstairs, how big the relocated house was, and also asked about the industry in the village and the employment of the villagers." Li Kun, from Dongbajianfang, Chaoyang District, described the new changes in the village, and also pointed out that A big elm tree not far away told the general secretary that "the past home was there".
Now the old look has changed.
General Secretary Xi Jinping said kindly that we work together to build the city into a big garden.
Everything comes from the people, everything is for the people.
"We must choose, what do we want? From the perspective of whether the people are satisfied or not, whether they agree or not, the ecological environment is very important; from the point of view of improving people's livelihood, this is also the most important point." During the meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee, the general secretary's words were powerful.
What the people hope and wish, what General Secretary Xi Jinping thinks:
"Where does the happiness of ordinary people come from? It comes from a good living environment."
"Do not deliberately pursue exotic flowers and rare trees, and truly plant trees for the people and benefit the masses."
"A few trees are planted per person, and a few pieces are planted every year. Over time, the motherland will become more green, the mountains and rivers will continue to be beautiful, and the quality of life of the people will continue to improve."
The word "people" is very important.
Seeking happiness for the people is the original intention of planting trees.
Extending the time scale, the development issues in the changing times will continue to change over time.
From "hope for food and clothing" to "hope for environmental protection", from "is there" to "is it good or not".
On the road to a well-off society, the main social contradictions have changed. High-quality development and high-quality life call for the construction of ecological civilization to be placed at an unprecedented height and considered as the "bigger of the country".
In 2021, at the Wenyu River tree planting site in Beijing, General Secretary Xi Jinping said earnestly: "A very important connotation of a good life is ecology. A beautiful China is not only about smearing grease, it is really healthy. Our mountains, rivers and rivers are healthy, and a China that nurtures life. The nation is healthy."
Afforestation, "the most inclusive livelihood project", benefits and relies on people.
Revisiting the year-to-year exhortations, the heart of boxing is contained between the lines.
In 2013, the general secretary emphasized that "to guide the general public to actively participate in voluntary tree planting".
This interpretation has been emphasized and enriched year after year.
In 2014, "every citizen must consciously fulfill the legal obligation to plant trees, and leading cadres at all levels must do it personally"; in 2015, "strive to turn the construction of a beautiful China into people's conscious actions"; in 2016, "not only the national obligation Planting trees well, all tasks of ecological civilization construction must be done well, and the whole society should be mobilized to participate"; in 2017, "a consensus and joint effort to promote ecological civilization construction"; "It is necessary to mobilize the whole country, take action by the whole people, and participate in the whole society"...
Gather sand into pagodas and gather armpits into furs. "Everyone gathers firewood and the flames are high, and everyone plants trees and trees into forests." General Secretary Xi Jinping mentioned the matter of innovating the form of obligatory tree planting many times when planting trees. What he is looking forward to is the majesty of hundreds of millions of people. Power.
"How to plant a tree" and "How to fulfill a responsibility", with the changes of the times, everything is changing.
"Planting trees on yards" and "protecting trees on clouds" have become common practice.
To the vast and subtle.
The way to get things done is also the way to practice.
Trees in ten years, people in a hundred years.
Year after year by example, day by day, the awareness of greening has taken root in the earth and has been planted in the hearts of the next generation.
General Secretary Xi Jinping once specially instructed that when planting trees, "primary students should not be selected from the whole city, but organize several classes nearby to participate, and not one child will be left behind. Children are naturally lively and play while planting trees. consciousness."
The children of Nanhu Zhongyuan Primary School have planted trees for one year.
The general secretary moved a begonia sapling that was as tall as one person into the tree pit, and the two children stepped forward to support the sapling.
"Be careful with your hands." "Slow down, don't shovel your feet." Seeing that the children were unskilled, the general secretary reminded them with concern, and taught them how to hold a shovel, how to carry a bucket, and how to build a cofferdam.
A vivid ecological civilization lesson.
Peaches and plums, the next from Seikei.
When a tree was planted, General Secretary Xi Jinping said kindly to the children: "After 10 years, 20 years, you can come back to this place to see how the saplings you planted with your own hands have grown. This is a very meaningful event. things."
Another year, General Secretary Xi Jinping said to the children while working: "We are watering the saplings together, and in fact we are watering you. This is called nurturing, nurturing the younger generation." ."
After the tree planting in 2021, a group of red scarves gathered around, reluctant to part.
The general secretary smiled and looked at his eyes full of longing, and said earnestly: "We will now reach the middle of this century and build a powerful socialist country with Chinese characteristics in 30 years. You are ten years old now, and then you will be forty years old. Pillar!" There was applause.
"Your generation should be said to have the strongest sense of national pride and honor, because you grew up and lived, and what you saw is a prosperous People's Republic of China. Thrive!"
Ten years of struggle to draw the background of a better future
"The predecessors planted trees and the later generations enjoyed the shade. Each of us is a shader, but more importantly, a tree-planter." General Secretary Xi Jinping's remarks when planting trees in 2017 is a vivid portrayal of the continuous struggle of the Chinese nation.
In recent years, there have been many touching stories of "tree planters" and "coolers".
No matter how hard, no matter how tired, no matter how hard they are, they look forward to, look forward to, and look forward to a better future.
In Saihanba, Hebei, for more than half a century, a green sea has been planted on the sandy ground where "the yellow sand covers the sky, and the birds have no perches."
When the general secretary inspected here, he listened to the touching stories of the three generations of employees of the forest farm.
From composing songs of youth in the desert to listening to the joy of nature in the forest, three generations of forest farmers in different situations have relayed their struggles and their beliefs are like a rock.
Gansu Babusha Forest Farm, the general secretary came here bumpy all the way.
In the past, "the autumn wind blows the fields, the spring wind blows the dead cows", but now the yellow and green are intertwined, the sand retreats and people enter, every inch of green has a miracle.
Stepping on the sand with one deep foot and one shallow foot, General Secretary Xi Jinping raised his eyes and looked into the distance, sighing: "We must continue to carry forward the contemporary Yugong spirit of the 'six old men', and carry forward their enterprising spirit of not bowing their heads in the face of difficulties and daring to turn the desert into an oasis." .
The spirit of Saihanba, the spirit of Youyu, the spirit of the Three Norths...the barriers blocking the sandstorm one after another, one after another is an admirable spiritual highland.
There is also Yang Shanzhou, an old communist who resolutely returned to Dashan after retirement. He said a burning sentence: "I want to go back to Daliangshan to plant trees!" It has been more than 20 years since he left.
His hands were as thick as the roots of an ancient tree.
The spiritual power that never stops and dares to teach the sun and the moon to change the sky is in the hands of generations of Chinese Communists.
Many stories of struggle in China are related to trees.
Gaoxigou in northern Shaanxi is a small ravine in the hilly and gully area of the Loess Plateau.
In the past, the land was barren and the mountains were dry.
The older generation has memories of not being able to eat enough.
Climb to the top of the mountain and look around.
Pine, cypress, locust, elm, poplar, caragana, as well as apple trees, jujube trees, apricot trees, walnut trees... a colorful freehand!
It was the hard work of several generations of villagers to photograph cliffs, build ridges, dig ditches, and build ridges.
Looking at Fujian Sanming again, one of the keys to the road of reform is the "tree".
Fujian is a major forestry province, but the majority of forest farmers once lived a poor life by guarding the "golden mountains and silver mountains".
Comrade Xi Jinping rose to the challenge while working in the local area, and proposed to "settle the mountain, set the roots, and reassure the people": "I think the forest rights reform is related to the vital interests of the common people. If this problem is not solved, conflicts will break out one day. , the sooner the better.”
Sanming has thus become an important source for the reform of the collective forest tenure system.
The spirit of daring to try and dare to try also nourishes both sides of the Minjiang River.
Today, they are brave to be the pathfinders of forestry carbon tickets, and the road is getting wider and wider.
The new green is beginning to bloom. On this vibrant and fertile soil, the sun refreshes the earth, and the cycle begins again and again; the annual rings record the time, and the stars move.
When planting trees in 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping said meaningfully: "What is planted is not only a green sapling, but also a bright future for the motherland."
A promising era that defines a promising future.
A tree grows into the sky for thousands of years; a mountain stands majestically for thousands of years.
"Showing merit" and "hidden achievements" have gained reputation in the precipitation of time.
In the past ten years, when participating in tree planting activities, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that "there must be an ideological realm of 'success does not have to be mine, success must have me'".
This is exactly what he has always followed: "We must persevere with the spirit of nailing nails."
Ecological issues test the vision of history and the responsibility of history.
General Secretary Xi Jinping's eyes are looking towards the longer-term future: "These are all written into history, decades and hundreds of years of history. It is not in my mind to be successful in my mind, I am truly responsible for history and for the nation. Be responsible and cannot leave infamy in history."
Some people use short-sighted decision-making to deal with it, and the lessons of cutting trees and deforestation are extremely profound.
General Secretary Xi Jinping solemnly warned at a meeting: "Inaction is harmful to the work of the party and the country, but sometimes chaotic actions may cause even greater harm!" "We must respect history, culture, and ecology."
The reverence for nature is rooted in the roots of Chinese civilization "harmony between man and nature" and "Tao follows nature".
It is from the profound dialectics of the rise and fall of civilization and ecology that General Secretary Xi Jinping pondered major initiatives such as jointly building a "community of life on earth" and "community of life between man and nature", drawing a clear green background for the development and survival of human civilization.
Planting trees with a shovel, focusing on the common dream practice of mankind, China leads ecological civilization to a new height in the development of human civilization.
"Building a green home", "responding to climate change", "maintaining global ecological security", "promoting global ecological governance"... With the world in mind, the general secretary said in a eloquent manner.
Considering China's role in the world today, he said that China should make a greater contribution to human society and take greater responsibility.
There are propositions, and there are more actions.
In the fall of 2020, China promised the world a timetable for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.
At the Climate Ambition Summit held more than two months later, General Secretary Xi Jinping further announced that by 2030, China's "forest stock will increase by 6 billion cubic meters compared to 2005."
In the past year, when the trees are planted in spring, the general secretary talked about the main point: "Increase the forest area, improve the forest quality, and increase the increase in the carbon sink of the ecosystem, in order to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality in my country's carbon peak and maintain global ecological security. make a bigger contribution.”
The wild geese return to the sky and the clouds fly, and the fish swimming near the water burst out of the ice.
Covering more than 9.6 million square kilometers, there are beautiful pictures of "green mountains without ink and paintings, green water without strings and ancient qin".
"This is not what others want us to do, but we do it ourselves." General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "The achievements and contributions of the Chinese Communist Party are not only historical, but also global."
The tree, the witness of time, the guardian of civilization.
Whether it is the heroic feeling of "holding the cloud and washing the sky", or the feeling of nostalgia for "turning tears into rain"; whether it is the "don't praise the color is good, just leave the air full of life" at the press conference. The famous saying to express one's will, is still a side quote in the diplomatic arena, "Those with strong roots are actually successful, and those with fertile anointing are full of glory." ... Trees with far-reaching meanings and green trees are integrated into the historical picture scroll of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Our reporter Du Shangze He Yong