Special Yunnan lifestyle: Senior couple spend 24 years watching forest

Wang Shigui and his wife in the forest. (Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua)

Wang Shigui, 65, is a ranger at the Huamushan forest farm in Qujing city, southwest China’s Yunnan province. The forest farm, covering 7400 mu (around 493 hectares), is over 30 kilometres from the neighbouring Lujiang county, at an altitude of more than 2,300 meters. Wang Shigui and his wife live in the observation tower on the mountaintop to monitor forest fires.

March 12 marks the 45th Tree Planting Day in China. The Chinese forests coverage now has reached 3.46 billion mu (about 231 million hectares), accounting for 24.02% of its total land area. With grassland covering 3.97 billion mu (about 265 million hectares), China has a vegetation coverage of 50.32%.

Back in the early 1980s, this Yunnan area was a rocky mountainous one before transforming into today's lush forest sea. At the time, eight farmers took the lead in afforestation to improve the terrible ecological environment. They also inspired an increasing number of people to participate in tree planting. Since then, the forest has grown larger and larger. The eight farmers are renowned as "Oldies Eight" by the locals.

The forefathers planted trees for the benefits of their offspring. Wang Shigui has been a ranger here for 24 years, while there had never been a fire in the woods. “This forest is the precious wealth that the eight elders pass on us. I have to guard it, ” said Wang Shigui proudly.

Source: Xinhua; trans-editing by Guo Yao