Walking from Beijing to Taipei, by way of Shanghai and Hong Kong may not be the average person’s idea of environmental protection work, but Ding Zhaorui, is no average person!
This young man is traveling independently through China, on foot, in order to raise people’s consciousness about environmental protection. The 3,000-km journey, which he calls “the Green Long March”, will probably take him five months to complete. This is his third long march since 1998. Starting from Beijing, he will pass through Tianjin, Jinan, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Shantou and Hong Kong, before finally arriving in Taipei,according to latest issue of Beijing June 4.
Ding is a volunteer for environmental protection, and at every stop on his “Green Long March”, he advocates the protection of natural resource, a permanent halt to the practice of using valuable land resources to bury the dead, and encourages people to donate their organs after death. He points out that environmental degradation and the depletion of ground resources is increasing day by day. Despite this, people continue to use more land for burials and wantonly chop down precious forest. Ding estimates that if people plant trees instead tombs, 2 million more trees will survive every year in our country.
Ding has spent almost all his savings on his Green Long Marches, despite the fact that numerous individuals and companies have made donations to support his activities. The first and second marches cost him 40,000 yuan. He says, “as long as my activity may raise people’s consciousness about environmental protection, the money is well spent". At the end of the interview, Ding said with confidence that he would do everything in his power to promote environmental protection. What a great man he is, and what a fine example he is setting for us all! Take care on your third long march, Ding Zhaorui.
(Xinhua 06/04/2001)
