Villager dedicates life to greening mountainside

Concept of ecological development taking root in people's hearts

Wang Zizhong, a 78-year-old farmer from Ciyu village in Shandong province, has devoted the past 42 years of his life to greening mountains and protecting forests alongside his 55-year-old son, Wang Tao.

Their unwavering dedication has transformed the barren mountains near their village into lush green landscapes, demonstrating Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, and showing that the concept of green development is increasingly taking root in people's hearts.

In 1983, Wang Zizhong gazed upon the barren hills to the north of Ciyu and started thinking about planting trees on the desolate land. The lack of vegetation and severe soil erosion on the mountains had greatly impacted the livelihoods of the villagers.