How-to China: Tree-planters turn barren mountains green

Q: What made you turn from farming to planting trees?

Li: In less than three years, my wife and I reclaimed more than 50 mu of land and lived a quiet and comfortable life by farming. But a sudden rainstorm in 1980 washed away our land. With my farming experience, I knew within two years the land would be so damaged it could not be farmed. I decided to plant trees to make a living and protect the local environment.

My idea was opposed by my family, but I headed out alone into the mountains. My son brought me back, driving a four-wheel tractor, but the next day I went again. Seeing I was so insistent, my wife decided to go up into the mountains with me to fulfill my dreams.

Q: So your wife is supportive. What were the living conditions like in the mountains at first? What was your most memorable experience?

Li: Life in the mountains is very hard. There was no electricity and mosquitoes were everywhere. There were no vegetable fields, so we had to pick wild vegetables to feed ourselves.

There were snakes and insects on the mountain at night. My wife was afraid when she first came. One day, a snake climbed onto the quilt when we were sleeping. Concerned, I said to her, 'Go back. I'll stay here and take care of the saplings.' But after walking down the mountain alone for some time, she was worried about me and it made sense for her to go back to help me green the hillside.

In the beginning, we planted trees by digging holes and putting saplings in. Due to a lack of technology and planting experience, the survival rate of saplings was less than 10 percent in the first seven years of planting.