Sep 03 2012

Shanxi vist report July 2012

Published by at 9:45 am under 山西省植林

Shanxi visit report 1st July to 4th July 2012

We had 6 persons taking part in this visit to Shanxi including Dr. Kwan and his son Geoffrey, Dr. Chong and his family, Grace and Edward and Mr. Chan Siu Kin

We travelled from Hong Kong at 6 am 1st July to Sheklau through Shenzhen and reaching Tai Yuan airport at about 12 noon. It took about 4 more hours before we arrived at around 5:30pm.

We were warmly welcome by Mr.解, previous party secretary of the town (靈泉鎮) now promoted to the deputy head of the Sheklau County. He again showed his support of the local government of our foundation’s work in ShekLau. We stayed in the guest house in ShekLau town center which had some improvement in its room facilities supplying at least hot water more constantly now.

The next day we visited Siu Ching village( 四江村), our plantation site early at 8 am. As the path to zone 22 was destroyed by rainfall we had to walk through area 1, 2, 3 to try to reach zone 22. We were accompanied by ManBen and Mr. Cheung Kin Kam the previous village head to walk up the plantation site. The zone 1,2,3,4 planted since 2007 were growing well. (Pictures 1,2,3,4) The area that we set up a small monument for marking the donation by Mr. Shih Wing Ching had formed a small forest and growing to height of 4th floor building.

Picture 1 Area 3 planted 2007

Picture 2, path at area 1

Picture 3 Area 4 (2007)

Picture 4 Area 4

Trees could be seen with naked eyes in area 6 and in area 10, small trees can be seen with binocular from opposite side though covered very much by high grass. The area where students planted their trees had grown up well too forming very neat evergreen zone at roadside near area 7 which very well at a slope. (Pictures 5, 6, 7)

Picture 5 Area 6 (2008).

P. 6 Area 10

Picture 7 Area 7

The weather was very hot soon after the sun went up higher. Dr. Chong had to

stop himself after two hours walk up to area 19,20 and area 12 for fear of heat stroke.

Dr. Kwan managed to walk to area opposite area 21 and stop for the heat and tiredness. Mr. Cheung managed to walk to area 13 and then claimed down area 22 by himself. He promised to send me photos that he would take in close range of the tree trenches condition in zone 22 and send me afterward. ( pictures 8, 9,10,11,12 )

Picture 8

Area 18, 19, 20

Picture 9 Area 12 &13 (2010)

Picture 10 a & b Area 12 (2010) close up view

Picture 11 Area 22 (2011)

Picture .12 a & b Area 22 (2011) Trees within tree trenches

We had to walk back through the original path at about 10:30 am and returning to the home of Mr. Cheung at about 12:30 noon. We were hosted for the lunch and took rest to avoid the strong sunshine at noon till about 3 pm.

We took our afternoon trip to area 6 village where our first spring eye emerged in 2009. We were excited to find another small spring water eye in opposite slope of our original water spring. That proved the water table had risen to allow more and more spring eyes to be found later. The original spring water eye also grows and its flow now could be seen for more than 50 meters from its origin i.e. about half the distance from the outside entrance where a further 50 meters flow will connect the flow with a main small stream flowing in the valley which will flow into Yellow River through 屈產河, the tributary of Yellow River flowing through Si Chin village.(Picture 13,14,15)

That growing of the first spring eye and emergence of the second spring eye confirmed the water storing function of the tree trenches and the water retaining power of the plantation work done in previous years. It is a good sign for consolidating our plantation site with further expansion to make the catch water zone bigger.

Picture 13, new second spring eye found

Picture 14 Growing flow of first spring eye

Picture 15 close up view of water

At night time after dinner, we were brought by ManBen to visit the ShekLau new town square—the Moon Night square. It was a new large area just built last year and with an area of the size of two to three football fields. Residents were gathering there after dinner for rest and social activities such as folk dancing and leisure exercise.

There was a water fountain as well and children were playing rollers and toy cars around. It was a big improvement of ShekLau people’s leisure activities with that opening of the square. We felt happy to see improvement of living condition there also.

The next day (3rd July, we paid a visit to the bridge connecting Shanxi with Xanxi crossing the Yellow River. We passed by a village school headed by the relative of ManBen and took the advantage to give a brief environmental education talk to the primary school students before they left their boarding for their summer holiday.

We returned to TaiYuan in the afternoon and took dinner with Mr.Kwong Lap Kwong, the deputy head of the TaiYaun Forestry Research Institute to discuss the setting up of a small climate recorder machine in ShekLau to document micro environmental change after our plantation. Actually we had seen again a hare and two pheasants while we inspected our plantation site.

In final day of our trip on 4th July, we visited Wong Man Ling the first experimental site of our foundation in Shanxi set up late Dr.Chia. We were happy to note that the trees were still growing well there but many side branches were being cut. We found a new village head ( Mr. Fong) was elected and we met him personally.

Dr.Kwan and Mr.Chan walked up to inspect the trees while Dr. Chong talked with the new village head. We were informed that the American students visited Wong Man Ling again last summer and we stressed the importance of keeping the trees planted for attraction. Grace Ling also advised them to develop the ecological tour as the villagers were getting old and agriculture would only bring very limited return for them. The village head agreed and would explore that possibility later.

Dr.Kwan reported also seeing hare and pheasants and lots of insects and butterflies in our plantation site. We left without taking lunch in the villagers’ home. In the afternoon we went for the Shanxi museum before we left for the airport at 4 :40 pm.

We were unfortunate to have a flight delay and finally arrive Shenzhen about 12 midnight.

Volunteer: CHONG Hou Ming

Team Leader of the Shanxi Project

2 September 2012

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