American teacher, Chinese desert fighter visit Luoyang, renew 26-year friendship

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Ronald Sakolsky, the American former high school teacher who reunited with desertification fighter Yin Yuzhen, returned on Aug. 28 to Luoyang, Henan province, where his ties with China took root.

The two visited the Longmen Grottoes together before heading to Luoyang No. 2 Foreign Language School, where Sakolsky taught in 1999. Their reunion in the ancient capital marked a heartwarming new chapter in their cross-border friendship.

"Come to see China, you will not be disappointed," Sakolsky said, extending a warm invitation to the world.

Ronald Sakolsky, acting as a "host," welcomes Yin Yuzhen to Luoyang, Henan province, Aug. 28, 2026. [Photo by Mi Kai/China.org.cn]

"I bring her to my house. This is my home," Sakolsky said during the visit to the Longmen Grottoes. He acted as host while introducing Luoyang to Yin, much as Yin had warmly received him in Inner Mongolia autonomous region just days earlier.

Ronald Sakolsky and old friends plant a "friendship tree" at Luoyang No. 2 Foreign Language School in Luoyang, Henan province, Aug. 28, 2026. [Photo by Wang Jinglong/China.org.cn]

In 1999, Sakolsky came to Luoyang as part of a China-U.S. teaching exchange program, where he spent a year living and teaching. Returning more than two decades later, he found the campus renewed.

Together with Yin and his former colleagues, Sakolsky planted a "friendship tree" on the campus. Reflecting on his years in education, he said firmly: "Students come first, not teachers — in China, in America, in the world."

Sakolsky arrived in China on Aug. 23 at the invitation of the China Education Association for International Exchange, and visited Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Henan province. Following his stop in Luoyang, he will conclude his trip in Beijing.