Anne Zhang

    zhangy49@gmail.com

    “MY name is Ye Lan. Ye means leaves (in Chinese) and Lan means olive tree. Together, it symbolizes green and peace, which are my lifetime pursuits.” This is how Ye Lan, a well-known Chinese environmentalist, introduces himself when he meets a person for the first time.

    Over the past 21 years, Ye has traveled tens of thousands of kilometers to raise funds for poverty-stricken children, spreading environmental ideas and advocating peace.

    Ye has received numerous awards and titles for his achievements in environmental protection.

    Bringing hope to kids

    Born in 1974 in a remote village in Henan Province, Ye lost his father when he was 15 years old and dropped out of school. In 1992, a news report hit home with Ye when he heard that more than a million students in China drop out of school every year because of poverty. He decided to do something for them.

    He quit his job at a government-run office a year later and started to bicycle around China to raise funds for those children.

    “Was he out of his mind? How ridiculous was it to quit a stable ‘iron bowl’ job and do something so unpractical at that time?” Wu Xuehong, a friend of Ye’s, said, recalling her reaction to Ye’s decision.

    Despite the doubts and other difficulties, Ye cycled more than 40,000 kilometers, across 16 provinces and districts around the country and raised about 300,000 yuan (US$49,000) in four years. The money was used to build two elementary schools and financially support 300 dropout students, Ye said.

    “Helping children go back to school is lighting the path to their future,” he said.

    Guard of the nature

    Ye has dedicated himself to environmental protection for more than a decade. He has launched several influential environmental campaigns, initiated two grass-roots environmental awards and published 20 books depicting his environmental protection experiences and ideals.

    Ye has traveled to 15 countries in the past seven years where he gave over 2,000 speeches advocating environmental protection to more than 1.5 million people. Ye has also passed environmental knowledge on to students in more than 1,400 schools across China.

    Ye said he was moved and encouraged when one student refused to eat any more meat after listening to his lecture about protecting wild animals.

    “We should raise environmental awareness among children because they are the future of the nation,” he said.

    To pursue his course, Ye has met difficulties and has had to confront misunderstandings, doubts and slander.

    He has been beaten three times for trying to persuade people not to smoke on trains. He was threatened at gunpoint when he was trying to dissuade two people from shooting birds in Hainan.

    Ye said some people doubt him, saying that he is just a showman and that everything he does is to attract fame.

    “Sometimes, I think about giving up,” Ye said. “But then, I remember my mission, the goals I set for myself and the people who have supported, helped and encouraged me, and I know I must keep moving on.”

    Banning smoking

    Ye initiated the Lin Zexu Smoking Banning Award last year, a grass-roots award that encourages people to say “no” to tobacco. Lin was a Chinese official during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) who was known for his work against the opium trade.

    Ye said Shenzhen, which started banning smoking in public areas in March, has set a good example for other cities on the Chinese mainland. He visited Shenzhen twice in March to see how effective the law is.

    After visiting numerous public places, including bus stations, cafeterias and parks, Ye said there still are many smokers in some of the city’s restaurants, cyber bars and shopping centers. He thinks the city should encourage its residents to use their cell phones to take pictures of smokers in public areas.

    Ye is now preparing a special prize for the winner of the second Lin Zexu Smoking Banning Award. He picks up 10 cigarette butts every day at different places he visits, cleans them up and marks the date and location they were found.

    All the cigarette butts will be pieced together to form eight Chinese characters meaning “smoking banning pioneer, health safeguard,” which will be given to the award winner on Aug. 30, the birthday of Lin Zexu.

    Ye plans to set off again in June for Europe. He said he will visit at least 10 countries to learn about their environmental protection practices.

    Keep moving on

    Ye is also the initiator of the Mozi Green and Peace Award, a grass-roots award that is gaining a good reputation in China.

    Ye said his work in the future will focus on advocating peace, because, in his eyes, paying attention to peace is paying attention to both humans and nature.

    “I will keep fulfilling my mission of being an environmentalist and a peace keeper until the end of my life,” he said.

    “I will keep fulfilling my mission of being an environmentalist and a peace keeper until the end of my life.”

    — Ye Lan, a well-known Chinese environmentalist