Closer to Lankao: How trees embody the spirit of dedication

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Swaying with the wind, flowering Paulownia trees please the eye for people in central China's Lankao County, but they were more than ornamental trees half a century ago.

Located at the last bend of the Yellow River, Lankao County was entangled by sandstorms, soil contamination and floods in the 1960s.

Frequent natural disasters left the area with poor soil and crop failures. Jiao Yulu, then Lankao Party head, led the locals in planting Paulownia trees to help soil and water conservation.

Sculpture of Jiao Yulu, then Lankao Party head, in Laokao County, central China's Henan Province, April 19, 2019. /CGTN Photo

With high survival rate, the tree grows fast and doesn't like high water tables. Its wood is light but strong, which is particularly adapted to saline sand in the county.

Jiao put his heart into the improvement of the local people's lives and production.

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Even when he was seriously ill, Jiao still persisted in working to make inspection tours to more than 120 villages for drafting development plans. He died of illness on duty in May 1964.

Although he worked in the county for only 475 days, his deeds are regarded as fine examples for officials in the county and across China to follow.

Paulownia flowers in Laokao County, central China's Henan Province, April 19, 2019. /CGTN Photo

In light of it, Paulownia trees, which were encouraged to plant by Jiao, become a kind of symbol of the spirit of Jiao's dedication, and Jiao Tong, the tree planted by Jiao was named after him.

Became known nationwide after Jiao, Lankao is thus the birthplace of Jiao's spirit of dedication.

After several years' battling with poverty, Lankao was removed from the national list of impoverished counties in 2017.

Now the county is a new attraction that pulls together the agriculture, industrial development and ecological tourism into a fantastical experience for both locals and visitors.