About 400 kilometers north to Beijing sits Saihanba, a green "Great Wall," which, over past decades, grew from a wasteland to a vast forest planted and nurtured one tree at a time, which has defended the capital of China from sand storms.
Nowadays, young members of the CPC in Saihanba have inherited the spades and water buckets from their predecessors, and more importantly, their spirit - a strong sense of mission, arduous pioneering work, and green development that has been passed down and cherished.
Among these young people in Saibanba, Zhang Jianglai has deep thoughts about the "Green Miracle." "As one of the new generation in Saihanba, I always remind myself of my mission for the CPC and the people," Zhang told the Global Times.
"The older generation has laid a solid foundation for us. We stand on their shoulders and move forward," he said. "Time is changing, so is our task. Now, we need to make contribution to building an ecological civilization."
The achievements of Saihanba for more than half a century are a reflection of the concept that "clean waters and green mountains are just as valuable as gold and silver." It proves the idea of Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, that "protecting the ecological environment means protecting productivity and improving the ecological environment is developing productivity."
The beauty of Saihanba Photo: courtesy of Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm
About 400 kilometers north to Beijing sits Saihanba, a green "Great Wall," which, over past decades, grew from a wasteland to a vast forest planted and nurtured one tree at a time, which has defended the capital of China from sand storms.
Nowadays, young members of the CPC in Saihanba have inherited the spades and water buckets from their predecessors, and more importantly, their spirit - a strong sense of mission, arduous pioneering work, and green development that has been passed down and cherished by the Chinese people.
Among these young people in Saibanba, Zhang Jianglai has deep thoughts about the "green Miracle." "As one of the new generation in Saihanba, I always remind myself of my mission for the CPC and the people," Zhang told the Global Times.
"The older generation has laid a solid foundation for us. We stand on their shoulders and move forward," he said. "Time is changing, so is our task. Now, we need to make contribution to building an ecological civilization."
The achievements of Saihanba for more than half a century are a reflection of the concept that "clean waters and green mountains are just as valuable as gold and silver." It proves Chinese President Xi Jinping's idea that "protecting the ecological environment means protecting productivity and improving the ecological environment is developing productivity."
Child of the mountains
Born on a ranch in 1990s, Zhang has a deep connection to mountains and forests.
He was given a name "Jianglai," which means "in the future" in the Chinese language. It's possible his parents wished he would explore the world in the future, but instead he chose to work on the Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm in North China's Hebei Province following his graduation in 2016.
"I arrived on National Day in 2016. It was my dream job," he said.
At first, Zhang was assigned to Dahuangqi farm in Saihanba as a technician. Afterwards, he was given the role of managing the forests, planting trees, and overseeing online trading of carbon credits. He was promoted to director at the Xiahebian farm of Saihanba in December 2021.
Zhang Jianglai works in the forests of Saihanba. Photo: Courtesy of Zhang
Working in the cradle of the mountains, Zhang often has to bear a harshness and loneliness that people living in the cities could hardly image."I still remember the first winter when I came to Saihanba. The cold wind seemed to have penetrated my bones," he said. "In the shadow of the hills, even wearing the thickest gloves, my fingers still turned numb. The cold wind blew to my face directly and I was breathless."
"At that time, I asked myself, why did I choose this job?"
However, Zhang felt ashamed soon after seeing his co-workers were not complaining about the extreme work environment. On the contrary, they were recording data carefully.
"The process of adaption is difficult, yet it builds will power the most," Zhang realized.
Once, on a normal day in May, when Zhang was planting trees on the mountain slopes, it started to snow. "I did not expect snow at this time of the year and I started to shake immediately. I was frozen and could not even tear open the seasoning for a bag of instant noodles."
Working in the woods, it is normal to be bitten by bugs. In the summer of 2019, while planting trees in the mountains, Zhang was bitten by a tick. He did not pay much attention to the bite and thought he would heal soon. However, he did not, and his arm swelled to the point that he was unable to bend it.
"I went to the hospital in the end and I still have a scar there," he said, "this is the first medal this job gave me."
During winter, the forests face risk from spot fires. To ensure the region's safety, Zhang wakes up at 4 am every day. "Even though it is -20 C, I have to inspect the forests and reach every checkpoint. It is a real battle."
"Gradually and slowly, I realize why everybody could fight for the forests - when I see lush saplings on the mountain, I cannot describe how satisfied I feel in my heart. This job really brings me happiness."
The will of a young Party member
Zhang conquered difficulties in his work because he lives with the spirit and values of a CPC member. He also has a deep understanding of today's CPC.
From a very young age, Zhang has been working hard to become a CPC member. He joined the Party soon after he started working at Saihanba.
"The Communist Party of China is the vanguard of the Chinese working class, and the leading core of the Chinese people of all nationalities. Joining the Party is not only a kind of spiritual purification, but also a kind of improvement of one's consciousness," he said.
"At that time, I had an idea that I wanted to join the CPC. I want to realize the value of life. Now, as a Party member of five years, when I recall the time when I joined the Party, I still feel excited."
The beauty of Saihanba Photo: courtesy of Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm
Zhang believes as a youth Party member in the new era, one must draw on the strong spiritual power of perseverance passed down from the older generation.
Since 1962, the builders of the Saihanba Afforestation Community responded to the call of the Party by working hard to make a miracle happen — turn this treeless, sandy wasteland into a vast forest. The spirit of Saihanba entails a strong sense of mission, arduous pioneering work, and green development.
"This is my story, and it is also a portrayal of the young people in the forest farm. Every little role shines when we work together. The older generation has laid a solid foundation for us. We stand on their shoulders and move forward," he said.
New task in a new era
Times are changing, and so are the tasks in the forest farm. From planting trees on bold hills to fostering new growth in the forests, from providing timber to ecological products… the role of Saihanba is changing, with people here calling it the "second startup" of Saihanba.
New technologies are being deployed to streamline work in Saihanba. Now, Saihanba has forest fire prevention monitoring system, drone monitoring, infrared fire detection radar and lightning early warning monitoring system.
"We are born at a good time and have a heavy responsibility on our shoulders. Our young generation should make persistent efforts, shoulder this heavy burden, take the initiative to learn, and use science and technology to lead the development of Saihanba's green business, and contribute to the construction of an ecological civilization for our young generation," Zhang said.
"There is a vivid expression of ecological environment protection and economic development: to protect the ecological environment is to protect productive forces, and to improve the ecological environment is also to develop the productive forces," Zhang said.
"The successful restoration of Saihanba is an example of ecological civilization initiative led by the CPC. The miracle of Saihanba relies on the Party members not forgetting their original aspirations and remembering their mission," Zhang said.
GT
From 1962 to the end of 2020, the forest area of Saihanba increased from 240,000 mu to 1.15 million mu, and the forest coverage rate increased from 18 percent to 82 percent. The total volume of forest trees increased from 330,000 cubic meters to 10.36 million cubic meters.
According to the assessment of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, the forest ecosystem of Saihanba provides more than 10 billion yuan of ecological service value every year. Compared with the initial stage of construction, the microclimate of Saihanba and surrounding areas has been effectively improved. The frost-free period in the region has increased from 52 days to 64 days, the average annual number of days with strong winds has decreased from 83 days to 53 days, and average annual precipitation has increased from less than 410 mm to 460 mm.
This is the great wealth that nature has given back to Saihanba.
