Ma Sanxiao: The Septuagenarian Hero Saving China’s Forests
When I was little, my grandpa often told me stories of heroes. Not fairy tale heroes, but real heroes—ordinary men who do extraordinary things.
One story that particularly impressed me is that of Ma Sanxiao, a 70-year-old man whose will and courage are simply astounding.
Ma Sanxiao, a resident of Mayu, a small village in China’s Hebei province, began his extraordinary journey in 2000. At the time, Ma had already lost his legs due to an illness.
In order to support his family, he started planting trees. What began as a simple job to earn some money turned into a true life mission.
In this region, located near the Taihang mountain range, intensive deforestation was transforming the area into a vast desert. However, Ma did not give up.
Every day, he fought tirelessly against deforestation by planting more and more trees.
Over nineteen years, he managed to plant no less than 17,000 trees, helping to rebuild the regional ecosystem. His tireless efforts prevented the area from becoming an irreversible desert.
Every morning, this man wakes up at 5 a.m. He gets into his TukTuk, a tiny but very functional vehicle, and heads to the areas affected by floods. Once there, he removes his prosthetic legs and crawls to plant the young saplings in the barren land.
This technique is not easy, and Ma has paid a high price: he has suffered numerous injuries and fractures from falling into crevices. Despite everything, he never abandoned his work.
In 2008, the government recognized Ma’s achievements and provided him with financial assistance. But for him, money is not the most important thing. His goal is clear: he wants to “give back to society” what he has received and help preserve the environment. He also says he feels safe among the trees he has planted, as if they were part of him.
