Two disabled elderly in Hebei Province who have planted 10,000 trees in their village's wasteland for a living, never expected that they become environment protection models in media reports. What's more, the attention they attract are throwing their lives into chaos rather than helping them out.
Jia Wenqi and Jia Haixia, both disabled men hoping to make a living through planting trees, have shot to fame overnight all over China, and even globally.
After the Chinese and foreign media outlets reported their work, which includes planting about 10,000 trees on a wasteland in their village in Hebei Province, accepting media and visitors has become a key task for them.
"We're doing interviews with the Dragon TV, and tomorrow a CCTV crew will arrive. Our schedule is rather packed," Jia Wenqi, who has lost both arms, told the Global Times. Jia Haixia is blind.
Chased endlessly by the media, the two elderly men from a village in Jingxing county, Hebei Province actually have a rather complex feeling toward their media friends. They became a target of intense media interest in 2014 after hitting the headlines in provincial and national media. At that time, they were rather grateful to the media because it helped their endeavor to plant trees was recognized by the society, and brought them some assistance.
But now, as more and more media close up, Jia Wenqi said they have become "repugnant" toward media due to their casual attitude in writing reports. A while ago they were portrayed as heroes and models in planting trees. In a moment, they turned into sly peasants who lied to the media and public about their motivations to get praise from the society.
"We've been telling the truth, but some media twisted our meaning and reported as they pleased," Jia Wenqi complained.
He's particularly irritated by a recent report, which said that they want to sell the trees but cannot after having received so much praise and being idolized, and that they fanned media interest by concealing their real motivation behind planting trees.
"Some tabloid newspapers just quoted out of context," said Jia Wenqi, "Right now we are attracting support from the society. We don't need to sell the trees at all."
"But when I get old and cannot work anymore, and no one helps me, what else can I do besides chopping and selling the trees [for a living]?" he retorted.
An independent decision
It's been 14 years since Jia Wenqi and Jia Haixia started to plant trees. The wasteland, which used to be a land of cobblestone and sand, has now become a small forest of some 10,000 trees.
"We indeed planted those trees for money originally," Jia Wenqi told the Global Times.
Born in 1963, Jia Wenqi lost his arms at 3. Having got used to it from an early age, Jia Wenqi learned how to collect dung, swim and even write with his feet. After graduating from middle school, Jia Wenqi first worked in the forestry team of the village, planting and looking after trees.
Later, he made a living by performing along with an art troupe for disabled people and traveled all over the country. "I used to earn money easily just by writing Chinese characters with brush," he said.
But in 2001, his father suffered from hemiparalysis and Jia Wenqi had to quit the job and look after his father at home. Disabled and without an income, he thought of planting trees, the only thing he thought he could do, to earn money.
He asked Jia Haixia, a childhood friend from his village who lost eyesight in an accident in 2000 and has been living in poverty, to become a partner. They eventually chose a piece of wasteland about 33,000 square meters along a river, and signed a contract with the village committee to ensure they are the owners of the trees on this piece of land.
"To get rich, plant trees … After the trees are fully grown, the village committee will not charge any fee. The income from the trees will go to the growers [Jia Wenqi and Jia Haixia]," the contract reads.
Then two disabled men started to plant trees in the spring of 2002 and have worked together for 14 years.
But it has not been a smooth passage. The first year they planted more than 800 trees but all except two died during a draught. To get branches as saplings from big trees, armless Jia Wenqi had to squat down to let Jia Haixia climb the tree from his back. And they used to be scolded a lot when they had to get branches from trees in other villages.
Fortunately, their efforts paid off in the end. Now the trees of different ages have become a small forest attracting birds. But what they did not expect was that the trees will attract so much attention from the media, some of which unwanted.
"A big tree attracts wind," Jia Wenqi quoted a famous Chinese saying, trying to explain what happened to them and their trees.
