There’s a saying in China that a tree planted in spring would grow into a forest in autumn. In the country, tree planting is a matter of everyone, from national leaders to citizens. The Chinese government has even introduced a policy that awards every Chinese citizen who plants three to five trees a year with an honorary certificate.
The Chinese people have always placed huge importance on tree planting, as it symbolizes revitalization, sustainable development and inheritance of the Chinese civilization.
In China, there’s a special holiday in spring – the National Tree Planting Day. Thousands of years ago, the tradition of sticking willow branches on doors on the Qingming Festival already started. Emperor Shun, a chief of a tribal alliance in the late primitive society of China and regarded as one of the ancestors of the Chinese nation, had appointed a minister for the management of forestry affairs. Almost every dynasty in the Chinese history had taken measures to protect forests and award people for tree planting.
Sun Yat-sen, the first statesman to call for “the revitalization of China,” was one of the earliest advocates for tree planting in modern China. On March 12, 1925, Sun passed away, and the then government of China called on the country to plant trees in memory of the statesman. This tradition has been kept on since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
China marked its 45th National Tree Planting Day this year. According to a plan of the country, it will build green areas of at least 100 million mu (6.67 million hectares) this year. Between 1982 and 2021, Chinese citizens have voluntarily planted approximately 78.1 billion trees across the country. China has planted trees on 1.02 billion mu of land since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012. The country’s forest coverage now stands at 24.02 percent, up from 21.63 percent a decade ago. China has achieved prominent results in promoting systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts and in launching large-scale land greening programs. A beautiful picture of ecological progress is unfolding.
China plays a unique role in forest conservation and the prevention of deforestation. According to official statistics, China has added more than 22 million hectares of forest in the past 10 years, contributing a quarter of the world’s new forest area, the highest among all countries. Erik Solheim, former executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said in a recent article that generation after generation, strenuous, smart efforts were put into the forestation process in China, and the Chinese people have written numerous stories that have made history.
Tree planting carries the love for future generations and hometowns. During a tree-planting activity held in Beijing on April 4, Xi told students around him to encourage their children to plant trees when they become parents one day. He said that as a man who grew up in Beijing, he has many memories about trees. Chinese scholar trees, Ebenaceae, malus spectabilis, pomegranate trees and jujubes are always seen in traditional courtyard houses in the Chinese capital.
Afforestation has become a belief that is passed on generation after generation in China. It wakens people’s awareness for environmental protection and nurtures the country’s green development philosophy. Through tree planting, China has optimized its environment, greened its mountains and kept people’s nostalgia, laying a solid foundation for achieving sustainable development and inheriting the Chinese civilization.
Tree planting is a tradition, an obligation and a part of daily life of the Chinese people. It will create to not only lucid waters and lush mountains, but also invaluable assets, making the country even more beautiful.
– Global Times Online
