Northwestern region.
Near Huangcheng Forest Farm.
The sun blazed fiercely, sending sand swirling through the sky.
A convoy of vehicles inched along the desert highway, transporting a dia team and a few local guides.
"Uncle Liu, are you familiar with the area around Huangcheng Forest Farm?"
From inside one of the vehicles, Tian Jinliang, a student of journalism from Mist City Arts and Science University, inquired of a local guide, Uncle Liu.
"Oh, we’re very familiar with it. We used to bring tour groups here to see the forest farm, but that’s not possible anymore."
Guide Uncle Liu nodded his head.
A patch of green amidst the wasteland was the world’s most magnificent view.
In the past, Huangcheng Forest Farm was vast, a jade pearl in the desert, attracting many tourists from afar to admire the great green project of sand control and prevention.
So during that ti, the business for local guides like Uncle Liu was pretty good.
But over the years, especially in the last decade, Huangcheng Forest Farm had changed. It was no longer seen by locals as a man-made forestry project for sand prevention and treatnt; instead, it had beco a place for so people to make profits.
"Why is it no longer possible?"
Another female student, Peng Hui, asked.
"They started planting grapes instead, felled the trees. Where there once was a dense forest, it used to work well against the sand from the north. But these years, since they’ve planted grapes, it’s not as good, and fewer people want to co."
Guide Uncle Liu shook his head in helpless resignation.
"Didn’t the dia report on what’s happening at Huangcheng Forest Farm?"
Female student Wang Xiaoping asked.
"No use. Can’t get in. The people at the forest farm won’t let reporters inside. The local TV station sent soone once, but there was no follow-up, no use at all."
Guide Uncle Liu continued shaking his head, still helplessly.
Seeing the good old forest farm turn into what it is now was sowhat painful for the locals who had grown up in Huangcheng.
"Looks like you’ve co here in vain. You won’t be able to get in," another local, Zhuang, said, shaking his head.
"Sir Zhuang, we ca here to report the truth about Huangcheng Forest Farm. We’ll find a way into the farm to film and expose the inside situation. Do you have any good suggestions?"
Student Chu Xiao asked.
"Not very hopeful. There are patrols inside and out, and they’ve got dogs. If we get too close with our vehicle, we’ll be discovered," replied Sir Zhuang after pondering for a mont.
The journalism team from Mist City Arts and Science University felt this was going to be a difficult task upon hearing this.
If they couldn’t even enter the farm, how could they report accurately about Huangcheng Forest Farm?
"Zhang, how did you manage to get in last ti?"
At this point, Tian Jinliang turned to a fellow student, Zhang Dehou, and asked.
The issues with Huangcheng Forest Farm first ca to light when Zhang Dehou discovered them and told Jia Nong, the head of the Agriculture and Forestry Departnt at Mist City Arts and Science University.
Afterward, Jia Nong reported to Principal Ding, who decided to send a team of student journalists from the journalism departnt to investigate the truth and report on the situation.
Zhang Dehou, upon receiving the ssage from departnt head Jia Nong, was asked to assist fellow journalism students in covering this story well.
"Last ti I ca here, I was part of an exchange at the forest farm. Maybe they weren’t very vigilant at that ti. But after I ntioned the damage to the forest and the impracticality of planting grapes, they turned unfriendly and asked to leave, never allowing to enter again," Zhang Dehou recalled, shaking his head as he spoke of his experience.
Zhang Dehou had originally co to Huangcheng Forest Farm through a friend’s introduction to participate in a professional forestry exchange.
But as Zhang Dehou had said,
When Zhang Dehou saw the condition of Huangcheng Forest Farm, he asked the staff why there were so many trees being cut down or burned, with large areas of land then being used to grow the cash crop grapes?
The response from the forest farm workers was to imdiately change their attitude towards Zhang Dehou and to send him away.
It wasn’t that economic crops like grapes couldn’t be planted in poverty-stricken areas in the northwest, but such planting was unacceptable in areas as crucial as the forest farm, especially after felling trees ant for sand prevention and planting grapes on that cleared land—a completely unacceptable practice!
"That’s going to make things difficult,"
Chu Xiao muttered.
"Yeah, how will we manage to get in and film what’s happening?"
Wang Xiaoping also expressed her doubts.
If they couldn’t get into Huangcheng Forest Farm, wouldn’t this trip have been for nothing?
"Guys, we’re almost at Huangcheng Forest Farm. Do we keep driving forward or do we stop here?"
At this mont, guide Uncle Liu asked everyone.
"Let’s stop for a mont. If we drive any closer and the people at the farm spot us, it will be even more difficult, as we might alarm them," Tian Jinliang decided after so thought.
If they were stopped outside the farm and couldn’t get in, then the forest farm personnel would be on alert, and it would be nearly impossible to enter the farm for interviews and filming.
The vehicle ca to a halt.
Tian Jinliang, Chu Xiao, Wang Xiaoping, and Peng Hui began discussing their strategy.
"Liang, what do we do now? We can’t just return empty-handed. Principal Ding is waiting for us to get this news out," said Peng Hui.
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