Tearful reunion for old friends who planted a forest

On Sunday afternoon, Ronald Sakolsky from the United States embraced his friend Yin Yuzhen at Ordos Ejin Horo International Airport after a separation of 26 years.

In 1999, Sakolsky, who came to China under the China-US Teacher Exchange Program, raised $5,000 to help Yin Yuzhen and her husband combat desertification in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Today, the saplings planted with these funds have grown into over 50,000 mature trees.

Before seeing each other at the airport, both Sakolsky and Yin were tearful and, when they finally met, they hugged each other firmly.

Before departing for China, Sakolsky was interviewed by a reporter from CCTV. He stated that his first action upon seeing Yin would be to give her a big hug: "The first time I met her, I ran up to her for a hug. She was very scared. She won't be scared this time.

"Although she speaks a little English and I speak a little Chinese, our hearts speak to each other," he said.

During his short stay in China, Sakolsky will visit Beijing, Inner Mongolia and Henan, reacquainting himself with familiar places and getting a sense of China's development and transformation. However, his greatest wish is to return to Maowusu - the fourth largest sandy area in China - to see firsthand the forest that grew from $5,000 and to plant a tree alongside Yin Yuzhen.