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American teacher revisits land where forest grown from $5,000 donation in 1999_我的网站

一 |     7月31日，第十届麒麟国际创意节暨麒麟国际广告奖颁奖盛典在上海陆家嘴中国金融信息中心举行。

二 | 贵州省体育彩票管理中心与本土茶饮品牌“去茶山”联合推出的“彩茶趣·‘声声’不息——以《掌心的光》照亮成长”公益联名活动，摘得音乐营销类金奖。    

    Yin Yunzhen introduces to Sakolsky the harvest from the once-barren wasteland. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT
On Monday afternoon, American teacher Ronald Sakolsky visited the homeland of Chinese desert fighter Yin Yuzhen in Uxin Banner of Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This was a place the American man had visited in 2000 and it has completely changed since then.
In 1999, Sakolsky, a teacher in a China-US education exchange program, was touched by a report on Yin and her husband's afforestation efforts in the harsh wilderness of Mu Us Desert, and raised $5,000 to support her green cause. During that visit, they took pictures - in front of the sunken pit where the Yin couple once resided and in the barren land with a finger-thin sapling they had just planted against a backdrop of dust and bare earth.
What has the $5,000 changed? 
On Monday, they came to the Sakolsky forest - a permanent tribute honoring Sakolsky's early contribution to the region's ecological revival - and replicated the vintage pictures, standing in front of a pit that has long been abandoned and beside a newly planted sapling. This time, however, there are bushes and trees in the background. 
This contrast not only witnessed their friendship across time and the Pacific Ocean, but also showcased a promise Yin has kept for 27 years and a green dream that has been made possible through generations of joint unwavering efforts from Yin, her husband and countless other sand fighters. 
Homecoming with family cooking 

Yin hosted Sakolsky on Monday at her home,  filling the air with the aroma of home-cooked meals during their long-awaited reunion. Watermelons were served along with other fresh fruits and vegetables, all harvested locally. Yin told the Global Times earlier that she learned the English word "more" to persuade him to eat more.  
In 1999, Yin had few options for showing her hospitality, so she cooked a bowl of plain noodles for Sakolsky. Now, the harsh wasteland has transformed into a vibrant green oasis, thanks to unwavering afforestation efforts.
In the courtyard, the Global Times reporter saw Yin grinning from ear to ear with pride as she introduced the produce from the farmland - green pepper longer than a palm, a bottle gourd even bigger than Yin's head, and bags of foxtail millet packaged with the assistance of Yin's grandchildren, who are proud of the family's generations of commitment to green causes.    
During a tour of Yin's home, Sakolsky was impressed by the beautiful house with its green courtyard, saying "You deserve every centimeter of this house." Throughout the visit, he repeatedly praised Yin's hands, which the desert fighter and model worker used to change both the land and her own life through arduous work. 
The $5,000 Sakolsky donated in 1999 was equivalent to three years' income for Yin's entire family at the time. Today, that money has grown into more than 50,000 trees.
But Yin's journey did not stop there. Over the following decades, with the support of China's growing ecological restoration policies — including subsidies for afforestation and compensation for forest managers — she transformed the barren land into a productive family forest farm. Her success has inspired many others in the region to take up tree planting and sand control, transforming what was once a desperate struggle into a sustainable livelihood.
From the sandy hollow where the Yin couple lived in in 1985 and the earth hut they resided in until 1993, to the solid brick house Sakolsky saw when he last visited, and the two-story house the big family now lives in, the change in living environment is a clear example of ecological dividends.  
Uxin Banner lies in the heartland of the Mu Us Desert. The desertification rate was over 90 percent in the 1950s and forestation coverage was merely 7.2 percent as of 1980. Now, the forestation rate has increased to 33 percent, while plantation coverage has expanded to 85 percent, per official data. 
    Sakolsky and Yin enjoy watermelons and other fruits at Yin's home. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT
Carry on the greenness, kindness 
This miracle would have been impossible without numerous people like Yin, long-term systematic planning and scientific governance. 
Chen Ziliang, an expert from the local forestry and grassland bureau, said that Mu Us Desert's sand‑control journey has evolved from collective afforestation to contract desert‑reclamation, moving beyond the simple goal of "keeping trees alive" to restoring vegetation based on water‑resource conditions.  
Putting the idea of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" into practice, Uxin Banner no longer views "greenness" and "growth" as an either‑or proposition. On restored sandy lands, the under‑forest economy, eco‑agriculture and eco‑tourism have flourished. Sand‑fixing shrubs are now processed into animal feed and biomass fuel, and local authorities are exploring photovoltaic‑powered desert control, the Global Times learned. 
Sand control is no longer just about keeping sand away; it's a development approach that guarantees a greener and better living environment alongside a booming economy and increasing incomes. 
On Monday afternoon, when Sakolsky finally stepped into the forest named after him, this American teacher witnessed the Chinese woman's perseverance and commitment to her promises. The $5,000 donated without expectations has grown into a thriving forest of around 50,000 trees. 
"A promise is a promise. Ms. Yin fulfilled her promise," Sakolsky said. After 27 years, the wasteland is green, and Sakolsky and Yin are "brother and sister." 
"This is the answer to how we guide young people: We must teach them love and perseverance. We need to show young people photos of Ms. Yin planting trees, digging the soil with her bare hands," Sakolsky remarked while packing a jar of sand. He said he planned to bring it back to the US, telling his grandchildren it is not just a jar of sand, but "a jar of love."   
Sakolsky told the Global Times earlier that the younger generation only knows about the dust-covered landscape from photos and stories of the elderly. It is important to tell them how the greenness is achieved, and how every single person can contribute to making an extensive forest in the harshest environment. 
"I see where China and America can work together. I see it, so I will not quit. She [Yin] never quit. 'Quit' is not in her vocabulary," Sakolsky said with emotion on Monday. 
"Chinese and Americans can be family. We can get over the differences if we focus on the similarities... If we focus on our similarities and not our differences, we can solve the problems."
At the end of Monday's schedule, Yin and Sakolsky planted another sapling together, just as they did about three decades ago, but in a completely different landscape. 
This new sapling carries on the story of not only greenness through generations of joint efforts, but also kindness across the Pacific Ocean. 
。这是继去年获DMAA国际数字营销奖后，该系列联名活动连续第二年得到行业认可。

三 | 此次获奖的品牌联名活动，是贵州体彩近年来品牌创新的一个缩影。2025年11月，活动在全省23家去茶山门店推出联名茶饮，消费者每购买一杯，双方便向黎平县双江镇黄岗小学捐赠2元，定向支持侗族大歌传承教育。联名产品所用黎平香禾糯，取自受捐地的稻鱼鸭共生田，是侗家人节庆、待客离不开的味道。原创推广曲《掌心的光》由云岩区音协少儿合唱团与舞乐蝉歌乐团共同演绎，纯净童声与侗族大歌复调交织，MV全网播放量达14万次。从原料溯源到捐赠公示，再到音乐传播，一条“消费即公益、公益可感知”的路径清晰可见。回看近几年的探索，贵州体彩的品牌创新始终围绕一个核心命题展开：如何让体彩公益从彩票背后走出来，进入公众的日常生活。第一季“彩茶趣”以可撕式杯套制造趣味互动，第二季以一首歌联结非遗传承，体彩的角色也从单纯的出资方，逐步转变为公益场景的设计者、文化内容的共创者。

四 | 贵州体彩借此打破了传统、严肃的印象，通过与新式茶饮品牌的跨界，塑造了“年轻、个性、有趣”的新形象。贵州体彩相关负责人表示：“我们希望通过品牌联名的方式，将公益融入日常，让每一次消费都化作点亮公益的微光。”值得注意的是，这一系列探索并未停留在茶饮与非遗的跨界。据了解，贵州体彩与去茶山正在筹备新一季联名活动，方向将围绕“全民健身”与“普通人的运动高光时刻”展开。与以往侧重文化传承不同，新一季活动更强调体育精神的日常表达——不是只有站上领奖台才算“金牌时刻”，普通人坚持跑步、学会一项运动技能、完成一次自我挑战，同样值得被看见、被记录。体彩公益金支持的全民健身事业，有望通过这样的活动，从抽象的数字转化为公众可参与、可分享的情感体验。总的来说，贵州体彩与“去茶山”的联名，通过精准的年轻化策略和深度的公益文化融合，成功地实现了品牌拉新和形象升级，为传统品牌如何与年轻消费者沟通提供了一个优秀的范本。从一杯茶到一首歌，再到即将开启的体育主题探索，贵州体彩的跨界之路，正在从“公益+消费”向“公益+生活”的更大场景延伸。当侗族大歌的复调与普通人的运动身影在城市街头相遇，体彩公益不再是彩票背后的一串数字，而是融入日常、可感可及的持久行动。那条连接体育与生活、公益与品牌的路，仍在向更远处延伸。

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Published on:05:32:06