American teacher Ronald Sakolsky reunites with desert fighter Yin Yuzhen at an airport in Ordos, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on August 23, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
A long-awaited reunion that captured wide public attention unfolded on Sunday evening when American teacher Ronald Sakolsky and Yin Yuzhen, a model worker renowned for planting trees and combating desertification, reunited and embraced tearfully with overwhelming emotion at an airport in Ordos, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, after 27 years of separation across the ocean. The reunion began with a single act of generosity in 1999. When Sakolsky arrived in China as a participant in a China-US education exchange program, he was moved by Yin and her husband's tireless efforts to curb desertification in the Mu Us Desert in Inner Mongolia. He raised $5,000 to fund their local tree-planting initiative. The young saplings they bought with the donation have since matured into more than 50,000 full-grown trees, transforming the once desolate, sandy wasteland into a thriving green landscape. This hug, transcending time and distance, marked not only friendship between the two countries, but also showcased the sincerity of Chinese people and a green miracle made possible through continuous joint efforts.
Seeds of China-US friendship sown long ago, now stand as towering woods. Illustration: Liu Rui/GT
Hug across 27 years At 2:48 am on early Sunday morning, Ronald Sakolsky arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport after over 10 hours of flight. As he stepped into the arrivals hall, he greeted the waiting reporters with earnest Putonghua "Wo hui lai le," meaning "I'm back." "When I saw the lights in Beijing as we were landing is when I realized that I am back in my second home." Asked what he is most looking forward to about this journey, Sakolsky told the Global Times that "I want to see Ms Yin, see the forests, see the students I have not seen for almost 30 years, my colleagues. I want to see the Chinese people." He then flew to Ordos for the meeting with his desert reclamation partner. Yin waited at the arrival gate at the airport in Ordos very early, murmuring English sentence she particularly learned for this occasion - "Welcome to China, my brother." Her eyes were fixed on the escalator and she wiped away her tears multiple times during the wait, the Global Times reporter observed. Sakolsky said in earlier interview with the Global Times that he was looking forward to this reunion and could not hold his tears back when he thought of the moment. He was about to give Yin a hug when they meet. When Sakolsky finally appeared in front of Yin, their eyes welled up. Stepping off the elevator, Sakolsky could barely contain his excitement, muttering "Oh my God, oh my God." They hurried toward each other and locked in a tight embrace at last - the long-awaited hug 27 years in the making. "This is a dream come true, from a lady who is the hero of the story, not me," Sakolsky told the Global Times at the airport, barely holding his emotion. "She made a promise 27 years ago, and she kept her promise." Talking about his donation almost three decades ago, Sakolsky said the purpose was to help her, "because she was beautifying the motherland." Now, in response to an invitation to return to China for a trip to see the green planting from his donation and to returning to the city of Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province, where he taught in the exchange program for several years, Sakolsky noted that "China had done so much for me that I wanted to say thank you to China." A return of kindness For this reunion after 27 years, Yin had carefully prepared. Steamed buns, meaning "upward," fresh vegetables and fruits picked in the land transformed from desert. Yin, never familiar with any foreign language, learned some English phrases, including "welcome to China" she practiced, "my brother" to greet Sakolsky, and "more, more" to persuade the American friend to eat more. On Sunday, Yin did her hair and wore a red scarf alongside an outfit with a green shade, which she picked particularly for the reunion, as "green is the color of the Earth," as she told the Global Times. Yin is not the only old friend that was looking forward to the reunion. While Sakolsky was still on his over-10-hour flight from the US to Beijing, Bai Fan was also on the way - driving over 850 kilometers from Luoyang to Inner Mongolia. The journey would take a day and a half. Bai was the vice principal of Luoyang Foreign Language School, overseeing international affairs. Sakolsky was an exchange teacher there through a China-US program, and was Bai's "neighbor right across the hall." Why drive such a distance? Bai had prepared special cultural gifts - peony porcelain and Hanguan Kiln purple clay tea ware, distinctive local handicrafts that proved too bulky and fragile for air travel or high-speed rail. Bai recalled Sakolsky's continuous interest in Chinese culture, and sending a replica of Terracotta Warriors to the US at Sakolsky's request. "I hope he can take these Luoyang elements and Chinese symbols to the world," Bai told the Global Times in a phone interview on Sunday. Bai is also eager to see Sakolsky at a place that they had traveled together 27 years ago. When Sakolsky came to Luoyang for the exchange program, Bai was his designated liaison. Together, they traveled to the heart of the Mu Us Desert to deliver the $5,000 donation. Bai still vividly remembers the desolate desert back then, where finger-thin saplings were watered ladle by ladle by Yin. At that time, Sakolsky had constant concerns about whether the tiny saplings could survive in the wasteland, which makes today's sprawling 50,000-tree forest even more miraculous. The changed and unchanged Things have changed over the past 27 years. While waiting for Sakolsky, Yin jokingly said he got less hair, and she would not be able to recognize him if running up to him on street. The passage of time has brought far more than personal aging, according to Bai, another witness to the decades-long changes. "Everyone is growing older. Our families have expanded with more children, local communities have grown in population, and the surrounding environment is constantly evolving, just as our cities are undergoing profound transformations." On a night tour in Ordos on Sunday, Sakolsky, watching a fountain light show, said that "it is a 21st century city, but it looks like a 22nd century city. In the 2000s, Chinese government made a promise to Chinese people to beatify this country, and they succeeded." For Sakolsky, probably the most profound transformation lies in the depth of his human connection forged. "27 years ago, we were just friends and acquaintances. We are brother and sister now. So much has happened since then, but the important thing is many people have seen the story and now they can also help to make China beautiful," he told the reporters. Through joint efforts of people like Yin, the Mu Us Desert has turned from wasteland into a green oasis. China has contributed about 25 percent of the world's newly added green areas and taken the lead in achieving zero growth in land degradation, per official data. Meanwhile, there are things unchanged, including a vintage photo of the three standing in the desert that has decorated Bai's office through all these years - a permanent reminder of their original aspiration. This reunion will witness them retake the classic photo and plant new saplings together, expanding their green mission. 。赵心童以6比2击败丁俊晖，再度赢下“丁赵决”挺进八强，下一轮他将迎战澳大利亚名将尼尔·罗伯逊。硝烟散尽，比分定格的背后，丁俊晖一番坦诚的心声，裹挟着岁月的感伤，令人动容。赵心童（左）与丁俊晖本场比赛节奏完全掌握在赵心童手中。前5局，年轻的后辈火力全开，接连打出三杆50+，随后送上连续两杆破百，建立起5比0的巨大优势。陷入被动的丁俊晖没有就此沉寂，及时找回进攻手感连续反击。第6局、第7局他接连轰出破百，并尝试向着147满分杆发起冲击，可惜未能如愿。随着赵心童凭借单杆101分拿下第8局，比赛尘埃落定。赛后新闻发布会，冲击满分杆的遗憾，成为第一个话题。面对记者提问，丁俊晖复盘这杆进攻，“非常想打出一杆147。从上手拿到第一杆机会开始，球形其实很理想，我全程都朝着147的方向去进攻。今天进入状态起步偏晚，但客观来讲，小童发挥得更好。
B | ”丁俊晖在比赛中当话题转向不断崛起的中国新生代力量，作为中国斯诺克拓荒者，丁俊晖的语气平和而欣慰，“确实感受不一样。
C | 无论是本土赛事还是国际赛场，能看到多场中国德比出现，意味着我们整体实力正在提升。像赵心童、吴宜泽连续斩获世锦赛冠军，还有常冰玉发挥亮眼，雷佩凡拿下苏格兰公开赛冠军，这批年轻人正在稳步成长。未来大家会见到更多中国的世界冠军、更多的中国德比对决。”现场一位小记者的提问，戳中丁俊晖最柔软的地方。上海大师赛走过二十年，丁俊晖是唯一全程参与的中国球员，跨越二十载赛场征程，如今的自己和当年最大的变化是什么？丁俊晖的回答带着一丝难以言说的怅然，“可能在场上打不过之前的自己，相比从前，我的想法更加成熟。如今参加赛事，不会再把全部情绪都倾注在自身胜负上，会更多关注其他球员的训练与赛场表现。我不单单只想打好自己的比赛，也希望把多年积累的赛场经验分享出去，给想要提升实力的年轻选手提供力所能及的帮助。”赵心童在比赛中这番话，道尽老将与时间博弈的无奈。曾经，胜利是球台之上唯一的追求；如今，胜负的重量慢慢减轻，传承成为他新的期许。连续两年上海大师赛上演丁俊晖与赵心童的中国德比，球迷热议不断。被问及在众多年轻选手当中最期待与谁交手，丁俊晖淡然一笑，“我们都快打成全国比赛了，任何对阵都有看点，最重要的是每名选手自身的竞技水准。能看到赵心童这样的球员打出精彩的比赛，也是球迷乐于见到的画面。”展望新赛季后续赛程与个人状态，丁俊晖没有回避现实，“最佳状态，肯定达不到巅峰时期的水准。
D | 我一直在努力调整，争取发挥更加稳定。
E | 我尝试各种办法，力求在比赛当中打得更加稳健。但有时候身体状态不受自己掌控，一些失误球，我自己都想不到偏差会这么大，这也是我和年轻时最大的区别。只要报名参加的赛事，我都会全力以赴，至于最终能打出怎样的水准，顺其自然。”丁俊晖在比赛中没有人永远站在巅峰，竞技体育最动人也最残酷的命题，便是与岁月对抗。曾经孤身闯荡英伦、开辟中国斯诺克道路的少年，如今站在熟悉的上海赛场，看着后辈轮番站上舞台中央。他依旧渴望完美的147，依旧愿意全力走上球台，只是很难再追上那个巅峰时期的自己。感伤之外，亦有光亮。输赢不再是全部，当一代名将放下胜负执念，目送年轻人向前奔跑，中国斯诺克漫长的接力，正在传递。
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