Twenty-seven years ago, US teacher Ronald Sakolsky saw a Chinese woman, Yin Yuzhen, on TV planting trees in the desert. He sent her $5,000 to buy saplings. Today, those trees have grown into a vast forest, while successful desertification control efforts have made it possible to grow vegetables and fruit on what was once barren land. In the early hours of August 23, Sakolsky arrived in Beijing and flew to north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region that same afternoon to reunite with Yin and