On the evening of September 24th local time, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at a welcome banquet hosted by President Trump. He recounted a story of Sino-US friendship that spanned over twenty years—the story of how an American friend named “Sacause” helped Chinese sand control expert Yin Yuzhen plant trees.
After the speech was broadcast, “Saecous” responded exclusively through his Douyin account @QiD, which is part of China Daily. He said that he was “extremely excited” to learn that his story with Yin Yuzhen appeared in the speech at the White House state dinner.
Furthermore, after watching the live broadcast onsite, "Sa Kao Si" also shared their current feelings with Xinhua News Agency.
This is unbelievable. I'm still shaking with excitement even while talking to you right now. "Saceos" means that this happened completely out of the blue. If I had hair, it would stand straight up like Einstein.
He said that although he doesn’t know what the next chapter of the story will be, he hopes that in future stories, “I will have the opportunity to return to China once again.” “China has truly become my second home. I have family, friends, and students there. It has been about three weeks since I returned to the United States, and not for a single day have I not kept in touch with China through WeChat or text messages.”
"Sakōs" claims to have two objectives: "First, cultivate a next tree or plant. Earth Mother is alive and well if we treat her kindly, she will treat us kindly. Second, we must build bridges between the two countries."
During the interview, "Saicos"'s phone kept popping up messages and receiving calls. He recalled that when he was in China, people often worried that he needed to rest. So he learned a Chinese phrase—“not tired.” “I’m like a phone, with my battery slowly draining from 100% when it starts up in the morning. But when I communicate with you or hear President Xi talk about our story, my battery immediately fills up again. I will have difficulty falling asleep tonight, because I’m just too excited.”
"Cooperations" indicates that the summits of the two countries' leaders will likely lead to positive progress and foster more cooperation between the US and China. "China has many aspects worth learning from, and America also has many things it can share with China."
On the occasion of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, "Saechas" shared a message to Chinese friends. "I say, I am looking up at the moon right now, and they will also see the same moon. This precisely conveys a message: we share the same earth, and we must protect the earth and also treat each other well. The United States should be a friend of China, and China should also be a friend of the United States. As long as the US and China show the world that they can be friends, other countries in the world will too."
"Saicos"’s real name is Ronald Sakolsky. He was a retired history teacher from Plum, a small town in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He is not the "American billionaire" or "big shot" rumored by the internet. In 1999, while teaching in China, he saw a TV report about Yin Yuzhen, a person who works to control sandstorms, planting trees in the Mu Us Sand Dunes. This deeply moved him. He spent two months raising $5,000 and went to the Mu Us Sand Dunes the following year to plant trees with Yin Yuzhen. This money eventually led to the planting of more than 50,000 trees. After leaving China, "Saicos" still remembered Yin Yuzhen. In May of this year, Yin Yuzhen asked Inner Mongolia Penteng Media to release a video titled "Searching for the Roots of the Trees." With the help of netizens who continued the search, it took only about 20 hours to confirm the identity of "Saicos."
President Xi Jinping said in his speech, "This story has moved many Chinese people, and it is also an example of friendly exchanges between the Chinese and American peoples. Humanistic exchanges between China and the United States are conducive to promoting spiritual communication between the two peoples, and they lay a foundation of public opinion for friendly cooperation between China and the United States."
Saechars said in his response that people from both China and the United States can live in harmony even though they come from different cultures. The meeting between the two leaders ‘has put us on the right path’.
In August this year, "Saecos" returned to China after more than twenty years. When he arrived in Beijing, he said, "I have returned to my second hometown." Facing reporters' interviews, he emphasized even more, "I am not a 'foreigner'; I am a 'local.'" When he returned to the United States on September 1st, he told reporters at the airport, "I left part of my heart in China."
A kindness that began over twenty years ago was rediscovered in the digital age, and its impact echoed in the speech delivered at the White House state dinner. “Saecos” said that this is a “story written by the heavens.” He believed that he merely played one of the roles, while Yin Yuzhen was the real hero.
