The Answer in a tree: Practices of Environmental Governance and Industrial Development in Lankao, Henan

Themed Upholding the “Shanghai Spirit” to Build a More Beautiful Home, the summit brought together leading media outlets, prominent think tanks, senior government officials and diplomatic envoys from SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners, renowned scholars and experts in relevant fields, as well as representatives of the SCO Secretariat and other international and regional organizations.

On July 26, guests traveled to Lankao County, Kaifeng City, for a field visit. They proceeded to Jiaotong Square to hear stories about the Jiaotong Tree，headed to Jiao Yulu Memorial Park for the exhibition showcasing Comrade Jiao Yulu’s life and deeds，and departed for Huanghewan (Yellow River Bay) in Dongbatou Town to learn about ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River.At last, guests departed for Guyang Music Town to visit the national musical instrument industry.They were eager to learn how this once impoverished region, long tormented by sandstorms, salinization, and waterlogging, had achieved comprehensive revitalization through environmental governance and industrial development.

Decades of relentless effort have forged Lankao’s remarkable transformation, a change vividly reflected in each upright paulownia tree.

This is the pulse of the earth.Stretching beneath the vast sky of China, the mighty Yellow River, revered as the Mother River, surges like a dragon, nourishing the root of Chinese civilization.

In Lankao, however, these same torrential waters of the Yellow River, with their relentless floods and windblown sands, also left three natural disasters, sandstorms, saline-alkaline soil, and waterlogging.

When the spring breeze blows across the old course of the Yellow River again, the landscape of Lankao is transformed. An ocean of paulownia trees spreads out into a stretch of vibrant green. With broad-leaved canopies, these tall and straight trees are like immortal monuments standing on the earth, wordlessly telling the name of a pioneer – Jiao Yulu.

One generation plants the trees, under whose shade another generation rests. In 1962, Jiao Yulu, then secretary of the Lankao County Party Committee, led the masses in a battle against three natural disasters. Their ingenious methods—covering sand dunes with excavated silt and planting trees to stabilize moving sands—have found a new life today. The ecological corridor, with a length of more than 1,500 kilometers, and the ecological forest land, covering an area of 200,000 mu, have become the unique “lucid waters and lush mountains” in the plain sandy area.Once endangering the people in Lankao, the three natural disasters—sandstorms, saline-alkaline soil and waterlogging—have now been transformed into ecotourism resources.Tourists can view old photos at the Yellow River Control Memorial Hall, go birdwatching by restored wetlands, and enjoy the rustle of leaves in the paulownia forest.

The paulownia forest is not only a green barrier guarding the homeland, but also breeds vigorous vitality.In Xuchang Village,Guyang Town, people there awaken to the melodious sound of the guzheng and guqin.Once planted to shield against wind and fix the sands, the paulownia trees have now become excellent materials for making Chinese traditional instruments.

Xuchang Village produces over 100,000 units of guzheng and guqin annually, generating 150 million yuan (CNY) in output value. With the help of e-commerce, the products are not only sold well across the country, but also exported to more than 10 countries and regions, including Japan and the United States. From a poverty-stricken village in the past to a prosperous village nowadays, the paulownia tree has witnessed the remarkable transformation of Xuchang Village.

Meanwhile, in the home-furnishing industrial park, leading enterprises such as Sofia and TATA Wood Door have taken root. These “singing woods” have been transformed from “timber worth dozens of yuan” into a modern home-furnishing industry with a production and operation income of more than 50 billion yuan(CNY). Paulownia has become the economic pillar of Lankao, and the furniture produced is shipped from Lankao to many cities across the country.

The gifts of this land extend far beyond this. The once barren saline-alkali soil are now planted with melt-in-your-mouth and sweet salt-tolerant sweet potatoes, juicy honey melons, and plump peanuts. These characteristic agricultural products have not only become the “New Three Treasures” of Lankao, but also a powerful new engine for boosting farmers’ incomes

The economic development has changed the local people’s way of life, and there are many such changes. In terms of education, finance, culture, science and technology, ecology and transportation, the brand-new Lankao is increasingly capturing the world’s attention.

In the sunlight, the vast fields of photovoltaic panels shimmer like a blue ocean.

In the fields, the modern wind turbines, stand tall and upright, their blades turning steadily in the breeze, generating clean energy that meets the local electricity demand and is transmitted to other regions.

The construction of high-standard farmland has been comprehensively promoted.The former saline-alkali land has now become ten thousand mu of fertile farmland.

Through the exploration of “5G + smart agriculture”, Lankao has realized the transformation from “relying on the weather for food” to tech-driven harvests. The grain yields climb steadily. The Harvest Festival brims with stories of the smart farming. On the land of Lankao, the beautiful picture of fertile farmland is slowly unfolding with “villages in the fields, fields among the villages, and villages and fields as one”.

From the paulownia tree planted by Jiao Yulu to the comprehensive revitalization of Lankao today, this is a history of struggle, and also a legend of moving from desolation and poverty to fertility and prosperity .

The vitality of a tree lies in taking root downward and growing upward; the vitality of a city lies in transforming the sand of suffering into the light of hope. This is the answer that Lankao has given to the world.

Ahmed Hassan Ahmed Mohamed Moustafa, Owner and Director of Asia Center for Studies and Translation from Egypt, expressed during his visit that he was deeply impressed by China’s achievements in poverty alleviation. He stated that ​Lankao’s remarkable development through initiatives like afforestation​ was precisely why he chose to visit, adding that such experiences ​hold invaluable lessons for his own country.
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