From Livestream to Desert Green
On the eve of Arbor Day 2025, Wu Mengqi, a student at the Weifang Institute of Science and Technology, embarked on a 1,500-kilometer journey to the Minqin Desertification Control Demonstration Zone in Gansu Province.
Her mission began a year earlier when she tuned into a livestream by the new farmers’ collective 'Ten Qin Tian'. As a drone hovered over tiny Haloxylon shoots battling shifting dunes, Wu realized that remote regions needed protectors too.
This March, a volunteer notice from the Minqin County Forest Plantation Public Welfare Development Center sent her on a westbound train. At the desert’s edge, she joined a 'youth phalanx'—volunteers from across the country united by shovels, water trucks, and a rallying cry for change.
After professional training, Wu planted each Haloxylon sapling in a 50-centimeter pit, backfilled with 20 centimeters of moist sand. Each carefully placed tree felt like a solemn ceremony, a promise to future generations.
Banners fluttered among the dunes with slogans such as 'The responsibility of today rests on our youth', 'Prosperous farmers, thriving agriculture, harmonious countryside', and 'Witness the vastness of the land, honor the hardships of the people.' Each tree embodied a steadfast commitment to combating desertification.
Reflecting on her work, Wu shared, 'I once felt powerless, but seeing the saplings I planted last year reach half a meter taught me that success need not rest solely on me.' With sand on her goggles and a spark in her eyes, she now plans to launch an ecological club back on campus.
Building a Dual-Value Education System
Behind this youthful movement stands the Weifang Institute’s 'Volunteer Service+' curriculum, which integrates volunteer work as a compulsory 'second classroom'. Key achievements include:
- 24,000 volunteer activities
- 500,000 participants engaged
- 2.6 million service hours logged
By turning ecological protection and rural revitalization into hands-on practice, the institute is nurturing students who can translate ideas into real-world impact—a vital force in the march toward green recovery.
Reference(s):
Gen-Z Student’s 1,500-Kilometer Mission to Turn Gansu Desert Green
cctv.com
