奋斗
American teacher revisits land where forest grown from $5,000 donation in 1999_我的网站
一 | 도시철 1호선 구형 전동차 퇴역 26일 부산도시철도 1호선 구형 전동차가 마지막으로 운행하며 부산대역으로 들어오고 있다. 국내 최초 스테인리스 차체와 자동운전 시스템을 적용한 이 전동차는 1997년 6월 25일 첫 운행해 약 300만 ㎞를 달렸다. 전민철 기자- 승객들, 사진 찍으며 추억 남겨- 교통공사 교체사업 9년 마무리부산 도시 철로를 처음으로 누빈 도시철도 1호선 구형 세대 전동차가 마지막 운행으로 마침표를 찍었다. 도입 41년 만에 마지막 차량까지 운행을 종료하면서 기나긴 주행을 마무리했는데, 그간 시민의 발이 됐던 만큼 마지막 순간을 함께 한 승객과 직원은 고마운 마음과 함께 애정 어린 아쉬움을 표했다.26일 오전 9시17분 부산 도시철도 1호선 다대포해수욕장역. 마지막 1호선 구형 전동차인 45편성 차량이 최후의 주행을 시작했다. 운전실 방면으로 가까워질수록 전동차의 마지막을 기억하기 위해 몰린 인파로 북적였다. 한 승객은 매 역마다 사진을 찍으며 추억을 남기려 했다. 승객 강도현(20) 씨는 “학교가 멀어 4년 전부터 1호선을 매일 탔다”며 “그간 추억이 담긴 전동차의 마지막을 보고 싶어 왔다”고 말했다.부산대역 도착 직전에는 기관사가 안내 방송을 통해 “여러분이 승차한 이 열차는 오늘 운행을 끝으로 29년간의 영업 운행을 종료하게 됐다”고 말했다. 이어 오전 10시36분 종점인 노포역 도착 직전 이병진 부산교통공사 사장이 “지금까지 열차와 함께해준 모든 분께 감사하다”며 “여러분의 소중한 추억 속에서 오래도록 기억해 주길 바란다”고 방송했다. 방송이 끝난 뒤, 승객 사이에선 오랜 시간 1호선을 누빈 구형 전동차를 기리는 박수와 환호성이 터져나왔다.이후 노포기지 입출고선에서 정차한 45편성은 검수고로 향했다. 마지막 철로를 누빈 전동차는 경적을 울리며 검수고로 들어갔으며 검수 직원과 기관사들을 각각 대표해 전현 검수팀장과 구재민 기관사가 환송받았다. 추첨을 통해 마지막 운행 행사에 참석한 이혜선(43) 씨는 “KTX 열차가 태몽이었던 초등생 아들이 열차를 정말 좋아해서 함께 왔다”며 “마지막 운행을 볼 수 있어 감회가 새롭고 현장을 본 아들도 뛸 듯이 기뻐했다”고 전했다.도시철도 1호선 구형 전동차는 1985년 7월 부산 도시철도가 처음 개통할 때 최초로 운행했던 전동차다. 당시 국내 최초 스테인리스 재질에 자동운전시스템을 적용해 주목받았다. 이날 마지막 운행을 한 45편성은 1호선 구형 전동차 세대의 마지막 차량으로, 1997년 6월 25일 첫 운행을 시작해 약 300만 ㎞를 달렸다. 최초의 1호선 구형 전동차인 1편성 차량은 역사적 상징성과 기술적 가치를 인정받아 2024년 시 등록 문화유산으로 지정돼 역사전시관으로 바뀌어 보존되고 있다.이로써 2017년 4330억 원을 투입해 시작한 1호선 구형 전동차 교체 사업이 9년 만에 마무리됐다. 신형 전동차는 총 51개 편성으로, 좌석 폭이 더 넓어지고 불이 잘 붙지 않는 소재를 사용해 화재 안전성도 확보했다. 도시철도 2호선 역시 올해 안으로 신형 전동차 반입을 시작해 내년부터 순차적으로 영업 운행을 시작한다.마지막 주행을 맡았던 구재민 기관사는 “오늘 운행하면서 1호선 구형 전동차를 사랑하는 부산 시민의 마음을 확실히 느꼈다”며 “승객의 발이자 기관사 검수직원 등 부산교통공사 모두의 손길이 닿은 전동차의 마지막을 운행할 수 있어 영광이었다”고 강조했다.。
On Monday afternoon, American teacher Ronald Sakolsky visited the homeland of Chinese desert fighter Yin Yuzhen in Uxin Banner of Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This was a place the American man had visited in 2000 and it has completely changed since then.
In 1999, Sakolsky, a teacher in a China-US education exchange program, was touched by a report on Yin and her husband's afforestation efforts in the harsh wilderness of Mu Us Desert, and raised $5,000 to support her green cause. During that visit, they took pictures - in front of the sunken pit where the Yin couple once resided and in the barren land with a finger-thin sapling they had just planted against a backdrop of dust and bare earth.
What has the $5,000 changed?
On Monday, they came to the Sakolsky forest - a permanent tribute honoring Sakolsky's early contribution to the region's ecological revival - and replicated the vintage pictures, standing in front of a pit that has long been abandoned and beside a newly planted sapling. This time, however, there are bushes and trees in the background.
This contrast not only witnessed their friendship across time and the Pacific Ocean, but also showcased a promise Yin has kept for 27 years and a green dream that has been made possible through generations of joint unwavering efforts from Yin, her husband and countless other sand fighters.
Homecoming with family cooking
Yin hosted Sakolsky on Monday at her home, filling the air with the aroma of home-cooked meals during their long-awaited reunion. Watermelons were served along with other fresh fruits and vegetables, all harvested locally. Yin told the Global Times earlier that she learned the English word "more" to persuade him to eat more.
In 1999, Yin had few options for showing her hospitality, so she cooked a bowl of plain noodles for Sakolsky. Now, the harsh wasteland has transformed into a vibrant green oasis, thanks to unwavering afforestation efforts.
In the courtyard, the Global Times reporter saw Yin grinning from ear to ear with pride as she introduced the produce from the farmland - green pepper longer than a palm, a bottle gourd even bigger than Yin's head, and bags of foxtail millet packaged with the assistance of Yin's grandchildren, who are proud of the family's generations of commitment to green causes.
During a tour of Yin's home, Sakolsky was impressed by the beautiful house with its green courtyard, saying "You deserve every centimeter of this house." Throughout the visit, he repeatedly praised Yin's hands, which the desert fighter and model worker used to change both the land and her own life through arduous work.
The $5,000 Sakolsky donated in 1999 was equivalent to three years' income for Yin's entire family at the time. Today, that money has grown into more than 50,000 trees.
But Yin's journey did not stop there. Over the following decades, with the support of China's growing ecological restoration policies — including subsidies for afforestation and compensation for forest managers — she transformed the barren land into a productive family forest farm. Her success has inspired many others in the region to take up tree planting and sand control, transforming what was once a desperate struggle into a sustainable livelihood.
From the sandy hollow where the Yin couple lived in in 1985 and the earth hut they resided in until 1993, to the solid brick house Sakolsky saw when he last visited, and the two-story house the big family now lives in, the change in living environment is a clear example of ecological dividends.
Uxin Banner lies in the heartland of the Mu Us Desert. The desertification rate was over 90 percent in the 1950s and forestation coverage was merely 7.2 percent as of 1980. Now, the forestation rate has increased to 33 percent, while plantation coverage has expanded to 85 percent, per official data.
Carry on the greenness, kindness
This miracle would have been impossible without numerous people like Yin, long-term systematic planning and scientific governance.
Chen Ziliang, an expert from the local forestry and grassland bureau, said that Mu Us Desert's sand‑control journey has evolved from collective afforestation to contract desert‑reclamation, moving beyond the simple goal of "keeping trees alive" to restoring vegetation based on water‑resource conditions.
Putting the idea of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" into practice, Uxin Banner no longer views "greenness" and "growth" as an either‑or proposition. On restored sandy lands, the under‑forest economy, eco‑agriculture and eco‑tourism have flourished. Sand‑fixing shrubs are now processed into animal feed and biomass fuel, and local authorities are exploring photovoltaic‑powered desert control, the Global Times learned.
Sand control is no longer just about keeping sand away; it's a development approach that guarantees a greener and better living environment alongside a booming economy and increasing incomes.
On Monday afternoon, when Sakolsky finally stepped into the forest named after him, this American teacher witnessed the Chinese woman's perseverance and commitment to her promises. The $5,000 donated without expectations has grown into a thriving forest of around 50,000 trees.
"A promise is a promise. Ms. Yin fulfilled her promise," Sakolsky said. After 27 years, the wasteland is green, and Sakolsky and Yin are "brother and sister."
"This is the answer to how we guide young people: We must teach them love and perseverance. We need to show young people photos of Ms. Yin planting trees, digging the soil with her bare hands," Sakolsky remarked while packing a jar of sand. He said he planned to bring it back to the US, telling his grandchildren it is not just a jar of sand, but "a jar of love."
Sakolsky told the Global Times earlier that the younger generation only knows about the dust-covered landscape from photos and stories of the elderly. It is important to tell them how the greenness is achieved, and how every single person can contribute to making an extensive forest in the harshest environment.
"I see where China and America can work together. I see it, so I will not quit. She [Yin] never quit. 'Quit' is not in her vocabulary," Sakolsky said with emotion on Monday.
"Chinese and Americans can be family. We can get over the differences if we focus on the similarities... If we focus on our similarities and not our differences, we can solve the problems."
At the end of Monday's schedule, Yin and Sakolsky planted another sapling together, just as they did about three decades ago, but in a completely different landscape.
This new sapling carries on the story of not only greenness through generations of joint efforts, but also kindness across the Pacific Ocean.
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