Xi'an and Tree Planting --- How the Empire Strikes Back Against Climate Change

I’ll never forget the last time I was in Xi’an: The smog was heavy that you couldn’t even see the incoming traffic while crossing the street. Occasional sandstorms blown from the nearby Gobi Desert would paint the sky into a yellowish color and force the majority of the city’s 8 million residents to wear surgical masks whenever they need to stay outside.   Before I left last time, I thought there would be only one possible outcome for Xi’an: The Gobi Desert would eventually engulf the city from the north and Xi’an, China's over 3,200 years old ancient capital, will be lost underneath the sands just like other ancient metropolises we only learn from textbooks. 

The Xi'an City Wall (built in the 1400s), the artificial protection river, and the First Ring Road skyline

This time, my visit to Xi’an totally surprised me. First of all, the city had not been buried under the sand. Secondly, all the smog was gone. Thirdly, there were trees – I mean, a lot of trees.

A Residential Neighborhood

The Second Ring Road. One of Xi'an's Major Commuter Routes

As my flight was approaching the Xi’an Xianyang International Airport, a rush of green suddenly appeared in front of my eyes. According to one of the many propaganda billboards erected along the city’s roads, the government was planning to build Xi’an into a “forest city”. The size of Xi’an’s greenbelt was comparable to some of the leading green cities I’ve been to in both America and around the world. Among the trees, there were villages, creeks, and pyramid like mausoleums of ancient Chinese emperors. I’d say that these things definitely look better in a green field in compare to the cities and pyramids that are not so fortunate enough elsewhere (you know the ones I’m talking about…..)

Trees and the City Wall

I remember last time I went to Chan River in the eastern suburb of Xi’an, the river was all dried and you could easily spot industrial leftovers on the river bed. I even sank in the mud and lost a shoe there.  Today, the area along the Chan River has some of Xi’an’s premium condo buildings and the river was restored into a local tourist attraction. The city even built a Chan River subway station to show off their progress to make Xi’an not only a greener city, but also a better city for its residents to live and enjoy. 

The East Gate of The City Wall

Historically, Xi’an experiences scorching summers with its temperature going all the way to 40 degrees Celsius on the hottest days. The abundance of green trees are able to offer the best shelters for the city’s 8 million people whenever they need a place to take a rest (which doesn’t really apply to the city center area, where you can find plenty of air-conditioned underground pathways). Trees are also known as “the lungs of the earth”. Xi’an’s above average air quality in compare other major Chinese cities and less smog are definitely the works of these “lungs” that absorb carbon dioxide and pump fresh air into the city every day (together with other air quality control measures imposed by the government, of course). 

The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Square. The Pagoda was built in Year 652 when Xuanzang, a very important Chinese monk who trekked alone to India from China, returned to China with thousands of Buddhist classics. The Pagoda was built to house all the classics Xuanzang brought from India. The Journey took over 20 years and Xuanzang's story became the inspiration to the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West

A Public Park near the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

The 7th century Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

To make everything possible, the cities had endured some setbacks. Many factories were forced to shut down or relocate to some very remote suburbs, causing either jobs to disappear or the commute to be much longer for the workers. To build some of the giant urban parks, many residents were displaced from their original residences. However for most of the Xi’an residents, they’d rather live in some place where the sky is clear and air is fresh. Many of them think that the setbacks are totally worth the cost. 

Many of Xi'an's factories were either closed or relocated. Some of the factories became art zones, whereas some others like this one became abandoned and waiting for developers to demolish and build residential buildings like the ones in the background

One of the billboards I saw in Xi’an read: “Desertification is the best punishment for ignoring the environment. When it happens, everything is too late”.  While I thought the city was on its way to be buried under the sand, what I saw this time was the other way around. Not only was the desertification process thwarted, all the works the people of Xi’an and their government had done also showed that the city does have ambition and determination to fight back against climate change. Despite the fact that many Chinese cities are on the list as some of the most polluted cities in the world, but if the government and the people, not only in China, are willing to address and tackle the issue like how Xi’an did, there will be a better world and a more presentable legacy this generation could pass on to the next one. 

The 10th century Temple of the Eight Immortals