Yin Yuzhen, a national model for desert reclamation in China, stands in the desert holding up pulled weeds. Photo: VCG

　　"He has never been forgotten"

　　On May 16, local media in Inner Mongolia released a video recorded to help Yin to find Mr. Sakolsky. In the footage, standing amid the lush greenery of the Mu Us Desert, she called out: "Hello, Mr Sakolsky. If you can see this video, I especially invite you to come back to China to see the forest that grew from your donation."

　　Flash back to 1999. The Mu Us Desert was a different world then.

　　"I couldn"t believe what I saw when I first went there," recalled Bai Fan, vice principal of Luoyang No.2 Foreign Language School in North China"s Henan Province. At the time, Bai was the vice principal of Luoyang Foreign Language School, overseeing international affairs. Sakolsky was an exchange teacher there through a China-US program, and Bai"s "neighbor right across the hall."

　　Bai told the Global Times that Sakolsky had seen a report about Yin and her husband on CCTV"s English channel. Deeply moved by the perseverance of these ordinary farmers, Sakolsky said he couldn"t imagine anyone enduring such hard work in such a harsh environment. He decided to do something. He emailed multiple foundations in the US, telling Yin"s story, and eventually secured a $5,000 grant.

　　Accompanied by Bai, Sakolsky traveled to the heart of the Mu Us Desert to witness the donation ceremony and meet the "hero of the desert." Bai still remembers the "land of despair" they saw.