Podcast: Story in the Story (5/31/2019 Fri.)
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From the People's Daily app.

And this is Story in the Story.

China has increased its efforts in promoting ecological and environmental conservationism in mainstream society. 

At a recent international horticultural exhibition, China demonstrated its commitment and achievements made under the green initiative.

The green expo hosted 16 million guests and offered 2,500 activities, including academic conferences, horticulture contests, and flower parades. 

China has stressed that an overall ecological balance should be retained for future generations and that by doing so, productivity will increase.

Today's Story in the Story looks at China's green zone initiative and how the Chinese are developing and retaining an ecological balance in regions throughout the country.

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Visitors tour the site of the 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition (Expo 2019 Beijing) during a trial run in Yanqing District of Beijing, capital of China, April 20, 2019. (Photo: Xinhua)

In Xingxian County, Shanxi Province, the loess plateau has only a few trees. But walking through Songjiagou, an area that features hills and a gully, green trees cover every side.

Gao Huachu, 70, who rented the 320-hectare deserted area in 2001 after retiring from the county's forestry bureau, started planting trees there.

"When I retired, I thought I could still do something. Starting a business required a lot of money, which I didn’t have. So, I decided to do something I was familiar with," he said.

"When I worked in the forestry bureau, I noticed trees were planted in many places, but they often died quickly. I wanted to see if I could plant trees based on my experience as a farmer," Gao shared.

As he explained, it didn’t require a lot of money, but it needed a lot of labor. So, he spent almost $3,000 dollars to lease the gully for 50 years and started planting trees.

In the beginning, he did it by himself. Since he lived far from the gully, he pitched a tent and spent his nights there.

To level the land in 2003, he sold his house, and the gifts he had prepared for his son's wedding.

"We thought he was crazy. Spending money on the gully seemed like throwing money into a bottomless pit. The family didn't support him then, but he insisted," said Gao's wife, Liu Laoshang.

Gao recruited impoverished residents and those with disabilities to help him. After years of hard work, together they transformed the barren gully into a "green zone.”

They planted pine trees, poplars, and willows, among many other trees.

With the money Gao earns from selling saplings, he pays those who work for him.

"Last year, I sold over 300 Chinese pines for roughly $140 dollars each. Altogether, I have over 10,000 Chinese pines that stand over five meters," Gao said.

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Gao Huachu, 70, rents a deserted area in his hometown after retirement to plant trees and erects stone tablets to commemorate famous people in the county's history. (Photo: China Daily)

Liu Baidan, a local resident, said, "Gao took me by the hand to teach me how to plant trees."

Last year, the area was hit by a mudslide and lost about $725,000 dollars worth of trees, but Gao and his team kept going.

An educational base for a local school named after the 120th division of the Eighth Route Army, stationed in Xingxian, was established in the area along with stone tablets commemorating famous residents from the county.

"No one would have taken care of the trees after I died, so adding cultural elements to the gully means it will be inherited and the trees shall be protected," said Gao.

"We want to share our farming knowledge with students and let them experience physical labor, so they'll cherish what they eat and won’t be wasteful," said Li Xiaolin, the school’s vice-president.

Students plant potatoes, soybeans, millet, and other crops. They also learn how to use farm tools and till the soil.

The area has 88 stone tablets, and all of them were put there by Gao, with 360 more on the way. Each tablet memorializes the life of a famous local and features their words of wisdom.

For example, there’s a stone tablet of Sun Jiagan, a politician from Xingxian during the Qing Dynasty, who was known for his integrity (1644-1911).

"I hope younger people come to see the tablets. I believe the stories of our ancestors will inspire and educate them," Gao said.

In 2017, Gao won the Touching Lyuliang Award for his efforts as a local role model.

"I like planting trees, and it makes my life meaningful. I want to work with my colleagues to turn Songjiagou into an agricultural demonstration area,” he said.

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Lance Crayon, Brian Lowe, Paris Yelu Xu and Chelle Wenqian Zeng. Music by: bensound.com. Text from China Daily and Global Times.)