Xi Jinping Tells the Story of “Saikous” in Washington: A Tree That Became a Symbol of China-U.S. Fri

Washington, September 25, 2026— At a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at the White House on September 24, Chinese President Xi Jinping recalled the story of an American teacher known in China as “Saikous,” using the decades-long friendship between an American educator and a Chinese desertification-control worker as an example of people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States.

The story centers on Ronald Sakolsky, an American teacher who once worked in Luoyang, Henan Province. More than two decades ago, Sakolsky learned about the efforts of Chinese desertification-control worker Yin Yuzhen to combat the expansion of the Mu Us Desert. Moved by her work, he helped raise a donation of US$5,000 to support afforestation efforts. The trees planted with that support eventually became part of a much larger forest.

From an American Teacher to “Saikous”

Sakolsky first encountered Yin Yuzhen's story in 1999, when he saw a television report about her efforts to transform degraded desert land through tree planting. The story deeply affected him.

He subsequently raised US$5,000 and traveled to the Mu Us Desert, where he met Yin and participated in tree planting. After returning to the United States, the two lost contact for many years. Their friendship, however, continued to be remembered by people involved in China's desertification-control efforts.

In 2026, after 27 years away from China, Sakolsky returned to the country. He traveled to Inner Mongolia and reunited with Yin Yuzhen. Together, they revisited the forest connected to his earlier contribution and planted another tree as a symbol of friendship. He also returned to the school in Luoyang where he had once taught.

According to Xinhua, the trees associated with Sakolsky's original support eventually became part of a forest of more than 50,000 trees. What began with one American teacher's personal decision to help has therefore become connected to a much larger ecological transformation.

A Reunion After More Than Two Decades

The reunion between Sakolsky and Yin attracted attention in China after their return to contact earlier this year.

When Sakolsky visited Yin's home in Inner Mongolia in August, the two met again after 26 years. They shared a meal with Yin's family and revisited memories from their first meeting. Xinhua reported that the reunion was deeply emotional for both of them.

Sakolsky later described China as his “second home” and said that part of his heart had been left behind in China after his earlier years there. Xinhua described the relationship between the two as having grown from tree planting and educational exchange into a long-lasting personal friendship.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun also highlighted the story in September, saying that Sakolsky and Yin had demonstrated how people can bridge cultural differences and overcome boundaries through personal relationships. Sakolsky said the Chinese and American peoples both want to live in peace and compared the two countries to roads that may take different routes but can still lead toward the same destination.

Why Xi Mentioned the Story at the White House

Xi brought up Sakolsky's story while discussing the longer history of contact between the Chinese and American peoples.

At the September 24 state dinner, Xi referred to several milestones in China-U.S. relations, including trade exchanges more than 200 years ago, cooperation between Chinese and American people during World War II, and the Ping-Pong Diplomacy of more than five decades ago.

He then turned to Sakolsky's story from more than 20 years ago, saying that the American had helped Yin plant trees and that the former desert had since become a green forest. Xi described the story as an example of friendly exchanges between the peoples of China and the United States.

The reference came during a period of renewed high-level engagement between Beijing and Washington. Xi arrived in Washington on September 23 for a state visit at Trump's invitation, and Trump and Melania Trump welcomed Xi and Peng Liyuan at Joint Base Andrews. The two presidents subsequently held meetings at the White House.

Xi's speech presented people-to-people exchanges as one element of the broader relationship between the two countries. He said cultural and people-to-people interaction can help people understand one another and provide a social foundation for cooperation.

From One Tree to a Forest

The significance of the Sakolsky story lies partly in its scale.

The original donation was relatively small compared with the enormous scale of desertification-control projects. Yet the trees connected to that effort eventually became part of a forest of more than 50,000 trees.

That transformation gave the story a powerful visual dimension: an American teacher who once met a Chinese woman working in the desert returned more than two decades later to find that the landscape had changed dramatically.

For Sakolsky and Yin, the connection was personal rather than diplomatic. They came from different countries, spoke different languages and had very different life experiences, but their cooperation began with a shared interest in planting trees and improving the environment.

Their story has subsequently been presented by Chinese officials and media as an example of how ordinary people can create connections across national and cultural boundaries.

Two Trees Across the Pacific

The symbolism of trees has also continued after Sakolsky's return to the United States.

In an interview, he said that he planned to plant two trees in his own yard, with Chinese and American flags beside them, as a symbol of the connection between the two peoples.

The image echoes the story that brought him and Yin together more than two decades ago: one tree planted in the desert, followed by thousands more, and eventually a forest.

At the White House dinner, Xi concluded his remarks by calling for continued efforts to develop friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. He proposed a toast to the health of Trump and Melania Trump, the prosperity and progress of China and the United States, and friendship between the two peoples.

For a story that began with a teacher, a desert and a few thousand dollars for tree planting, the journey has become much larger. In 2026, “Saikous” was no longer simply the name Chinese people gave an American teacher. His story had become part of a broader conversation about how personal encounters, environmental cooperation and long-term human connections can survive political and geographical boundaries.