A heartwarming story blowing up on Chinese internet!
Netizens are on a mission to help Yin Yuzhen — a determined Chinese woman and legendary desert-control hero — find her long-lost American friend Sai Koski (Chinese transliteration: 塞考斯).
In 1999, Sai Koski donated $5,000 after seeing her story. He admitted he couldn’t believe a Chinese woman could actually plant trees in the harsh desert. But Yin proved him wrong: in 40 years, she single-handedly transformed 70,000 mu (~11,500 acres) of wasteland into lush greenery.
The Mu Us Desert was once a massive ~42,000 km² sea of shifting dunes in the past. Today, thanks to Yin and many others, 75% of the sandy land in Inner Mongolia has been rehabilitated — desertification is under control, moving sands have largely vanished, and forests now thrive where dunes once rolled.
Chinese internet and Yin are inviting Sai Koski to come back to China: “Come examine if your money was well spent and see how beautifully your kindness grew!”
Video Credit: 央视新闻