Source Title: Struggle for a Century to Set Sail on a New Journey · Winner of the “July 1st Medal” | Sand Control Hero Shi Guangyin: One thing is done to control sand, even if it is not in vain
Xinhua News Agency, Xi’an, July 6th Question: Shi Guangyin, a desert control hero
Xinhua News Agency reporters Wu Hongbo and Fu Ruixia
On the morning of June 29, in the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People, Shi Guangyin slowly walked onto the podium, wearing the “July 1st Medal” representing the highest honor in the party in the majestic “Praise of Loyalty”.
“Shi Guangyin, a model representative of sand control and afforestation, has persisted in fighting unyieldingly against barren sand and alkali beaches for more than 40 years, creating a new model that combines sand control and enrichment, and has made a radical change in the harsh environment of the southern edge of the Mu Us Desert. Outstanding contribution.” This brief introduction made more people remember this extraordinary career carried by the generous shoulders, and also wrote a summary of the story of the “sand control man”.
The desert is not cured and the poverty is hard to eradicate
[The pain of wind and sand fills up childhood memories]
A midsummer rain washed the sky in Dingbian County, Shaanxi Province. Shi Guangyin and his grandson Shi Jianyang walked among the Pinus sylvestris forest that he planted with his own hands. Indistinguishable bird sounds played the morning carnival, and the pine needles were still hanging. The raindrops on the night before… the oasis of more than 6000 acres in front of us has an intimidating name-“Wolf’s Nest Sand”. More than 30 years ago, the natural environment here was as sinister as its name. The sand dunes were vertical and horizontal, and the wind was raging. Quicksand could threaten people’s living space at any time.
Shi Guangyin, who was born on the southern edge of the Mu Us Desert, has suffered from the wind and sand. “One wind a year, from spring to winter”, the yellow sand in the sky has become a nightmare for the local people in all seasons. In order to avoid the quicksand, Shi Guangyin’s father moved his family 9 times.
[If you don’t control the sand, you will always be poor]
The wind and sand filled Shi Guangyin’s childhood memories and became the unspeakable suffering of the people in Dingbian at that time. “The kang is rotten in the grass shed, the yellow wind is blowing in the four seasons, the bran fills the belly, and the ten families and nine families are poor.” A true portrayal of the lives of the people on the edge of the earth. “A gust of wind came over, and the sand hit the beams. The wheat that was still high yesterday was buried with nothing left. In such an environment, only one or two hundred catties of grain could be produced per mu of land.” Shi Guangyin recalled.
Local data show that in the 100 years before 1949, 2.1 million acres of farmland and pasture were engulfed by quicksand in the Yulin Sandy Area, and the remaining 1.45 million acres of farmland was also surrounded by sand dunes. In June 1949, the forest and grass coverage rate in Yulin Only 1.8%.
The situation of Sha Jin and people retreating continued to deteriorate. The contiguous “barren land” severely restricted the production and life of the local people. “If the sand is not controlled by everyone, the poor roots of this place will not be rooted. At that time, I made up my mind and I will do it later. The matter of combating sand.” Shi Guangyin said.
This is Shi Guangyin, the winner of the “July 1st Medal” (photographed on June 29).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xie Huanchi
Legend of the Battle of Heaven and Earth
[“Smashing pots and selling iron must also cure the sand”]
In the darkest hour, there are often warriors moving forward.
After being elected as the leader of the Getatao Village of Haiziliang Commune, Shi Guangyin led the masses to plant trees and afforestation. After three years of hard work, 14,000 mu of afforestation were successfully planted, giving Haiziliang the first oasis.
In 1984, Shi Guangyin actively responded to the call of the Party Central Committee and established the country’s first farmer’s share-holding sand control company-Xinxing Forestry Ranch. It contracted more than 3,000 mu of waste sand, sold 84 sheep and a mule in the family, and brought a few. The villagers of the households started a battle against the sky and the earth in the cause of desertification. Heaven is beautiful, and the rain this year has helped Shi Guangyin a lot, and the survival rate of the saplings planted is very high.
The gratifying changes inspired Shi Guangyin’s fighting spirit. In 1985, he once again issued a military order to contract for the treatment of more than 50,000 mu of deserted sand. Standing on the endless sandy beach, many people worry that his promise will not be fulfilled. Have you ever seen a tree here? But the words have already been spoken, you can’t do it, the “rock lunatic” whom the folks spoke of turned over and rode on the mule, wrapped in grass seeds and walked into the sand nest.
This is Shi Guangyin, the winner of the “July 1st Medal” (photographed on June 28).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li He
【Fighting “Wolf’s Nest Sand”】
Among the contracted sandy land, the “Wolf’s Nest Sand” covering an area of more than 6000 acres is the most difficult to tame. The sand beams here are next to the sand beams, and the wind is constant all year round. In 1986, Shi Guangyin led hundreds of people and spent dozens of days in the “Wolf’s Nest”. When you are hungry, you will break a piece of corn bun, and when you are thirsty, you will scoop some sandy water. When you are sleepy, you will squint at the Mao Cao Temple. Almost all the saplings were destroyed.
Because of lack of experience, the survival rate of the saplings planted in the first two years was less than 30%. “At that time, many people stopped doing it. I thought that sand control could not be reckless, so I ran to ask experts to see how they planted trees.” Shi Guangyin said. After asking a forestry expert, Shi Guangyin realized that the previous sand control methods were not scientific. Only the combined planting of trees and shrubs could play a role in preventing wind and fixing sand.
In the spring of the third year, Shi Guangyin led the masses to fight the “Wolf’s Nest Sand” again, and built more than 800 kilometers of sand barriers with the help of the “obstacle sand control method”. The fierce quicksand was finally consolidated and 90% of the saplings survived.
Shi Guangyin was in the “Wolf’s Nest” woodland that he first managed (photographed on May 30, 2020).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Xiao
One side of afforestation for life
[If the ecology is good, you will get rich]
The name “Langwosha” remained, and together with the tree planted by Shi Guangyin, it became a testimony to that period of time.
Today, it has become a solid ecological barrier on the edge of the Mu Us Desert. For more than 30 years, Shi Guangyin planted more than 53 million trees (clusters) on 250,000 mu of barren sands and alkali beaches, and repeated afforestation area of 350,000 mu, which completely changed the local history of “sand advances and people retreat”.
Walking in the woods, the sand under my feet is soft and moist. Shi Guangyin squatted down, rubbed up a handful of moss, and said cheerfully, “This is the good performance of vegetation. It is this thing that turns sand into soil so that the sand will not flow.”
Sand fixation has been a long-standing topic. Ecological restoration has become Shi Guangyin’s eternal dream.
After entering the new century, Shi Guangyin realized that the shrubs planted that year had short lifespan, low economic value, poor ornamentation, and the ecological and economic benefits of extensive afforestation were not significant enough. The transformation of low-yield forests became his new plan. There are more than 1 million high-quality tree species dominated by pine pine. “When the forest’s ecological benefits are good, the economic benefits will come up. Getting rich is no longer just empty talk.” Shi Guangyin said.
Today, the sand control company named after him is still exploring the prospects of economic development under the forest. According to the development strategy of “controlling waste sand, developing and using waste sand”, it takes the road of “company + farmer + base” to control sand. Closely integrated with getting rich. Under his leadership, the local area has successively opened a hundred beef cattle demonstration ranch, a 3000-ton safe feed processing plant, a thousand acres of Pinus sylvestris seedling base, a thousand acres of virus-free potato seed breeding base, a thousand acres of pepper planting base and 50,000 acres of ecological forests. More than ten economic entities have benefited more than 1,000 rural households, and the annual per capita income of the people in the deserted area exceeds 10,000 yuan.
Shi Guangyin was in the “Wolf’s Nest” woodland that he first managed (photographed on May 30, 2020).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Xiao
[The cause of desertification and afforestation needs to be passed on from generation to generation]
“Planting trees is the same as cultivating dolls. It takes careful care to become useful.” Under the shade of the trees, Shi Guangyin carefully passed on his afforestation experience to his grandson Shi Jianyang. He saved most of his life experience and became the “heirloom” for his grandson to learn forestry knowledge. After graduating from high school, 25-year-old Shi Jianyang chose forestry technology major and has grown into a third-generation sandman who understands forestry technology.
“As a young party member, I want to bring back the forestry and grass expertise and high technology I have learned to this land, not only to improve the ecology, but also to develop the economic industrial chain under the forest.” Shi Jianyang said.
The grandfather and grandson are side by side, the sandy land is already prosperous; the energy is even more hot in the blood of the young.
Shi Guangyin (left) checks the planting situation of potato seedlings in the potato seed breeding base under his company’s management (photographed on May 30, 2020).Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Xiao
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