Today’s Good People,
Good Works will be
presented in Chinese,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Indonesian, Japanese,
Korean, Malay,
Persian, Portuguese,
Russian, Spanish
and Thai.
Everyone in this world
should know one thing:
that is, no matter
how much money we have,
we cannot take one penny
with us when we die.
Therefore, when we are alive,
instead of
seeking material wealth,
we should be kind
and helpful to
the less fortunate people
in this world,
and then we can achieve
greatness in our lives.
Earth-loving viewers,
welcome to
Good People, Good Works.
Today’s program
features Dr. Wender Yang
of Formosa (Taiwan)
who is the president and
founder of the non-profit
HIMA Foundation.
The Foundation
is responsible for
the New Loulan Project
that seeks to revive
a thriving green oasis
that once existed
in Xinjiang, China’s
Taklimakan Desert.
Approximately
2,000 years ago,
Loulan was a prosperous
city-state that
supported much life and
featured a vibrant culture.
Located along
the historic Silk Road,
it once was a prominent
economic hub
and connected China,
the Mediterranean
and Europe.
The desert in Xinjiang is
at the west end of China.
Taklamakan Desert
began to desertify
around 2,000 years ago
and it continues to expand
with the speed
of 168 square kilometers
per year so far.
The condition
of desertification
is very serious.
Around the third century AD,
the area’s forests were
subject to intense logging
which led to an acceleration
of the desertification.
Continual sandstorms
devastated Loulan and
soon the entire city-state
disappeared
into the vast arid desert.
In 2000, Dr. Yang
traveled to Xinjiang in
search of the Loulan people.
We went there for
an adventure, looking for
the most mysterious race,
the “Loulan.”
On the way, I saw
two elders walking around
in 40~50 degrees Celsius
temperatures and
the surface temperature
was even over
70~80 degrees Celsius.
So I went to them and said,
“I can take you to
where you want to go.”
Then they got in the car
and asked my translator
(also my driver),
“What are you
doing here?”
I replied:
“We are here to look for
the Loulan People.”
They looked at each other
for awhile and said:
“We are Loulan People.”
Upon reaching
the Loulan settlement,
featuring approximately
800 households, he found
that people were living
under extremely
unfavorable conditions.
They were suffering
from insufficient food
and water and protection
from the harsh elements.
Out of his genuine desire
to help better the welfare
of the Loulan people
and to restore
the beauty of the land,
Dr. Yang gave up
his high salaried position
at a well-established
company, founded
the HIMA Foundation
and dedicated himself
full-time to
the New Loulan Project.
The Loulan Project is
a project that we started
seven years ago.
We hope that we can
restore this beautiful,
ancient place
where people and nature
co-existed in harmony.
Dr. Yang started by
monitoring the growth
and distribution of trees
in the area.
He also had experts
analyze the soil and water
to determine the prospects
for planting greenery.
Fortunately, through
the right selection
of plant species, Dr. Yang
and his team were able to
grow flora even in these
challenging conditions.
It’s more difficult
to plant trees in a desert
than in other areas.
Therefore,
the New Loulan Project
is to create
the only “desert forest”
in the world.
In other words, we want
to turn the desert
green again.
We planted
herbaceous plants, and
a common shrub named
Ammannia gracilis,
also known as
“the Beauty of Desert.”
We also planted tall trees.
For example,
we planted 108 hectares
of Populus forest
in Arakan.
Populus is also called
“the Hero of the Desert,”
which is the first barrier
to block the wind
and the sand.
So these three kinds of
plants together can form
a forest in the desert.
It creates harmony
between nature and people.
Up to last year,
we had restored an area
of three square kilometers
of desert and changed it
into a better place to live.
The most important thing
is that they feel very
proud that they have
enlivened this lifeless area
and made beautiful
flowers grow again.
We’ve made a deal with
the local government.
This year we’ll expand
the project and
work together
with 200 families.
In the next two years,
each family will be
responsible for restoring
about two square
kilometers of land.
So the total area
is approximately
168 square kilometers.
This way we’ll find
the balance between the
force of desertification
and the greening of
desert in Xinjiang desert.
If a group of
common people like us
can rejuvenate this place,
I think that other people
would have no excuse
to say,
“We cannot make it,” or,
“It is too difficult to do.”
Everybody could help
start the recovery
of the environment.
When we come back,
Dr. Wender Yang
will further discuss
the New Loulan Project
and how it is revitalizing
the land and life
of the local people.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
The power of kindness
inside us
is a very important factor
that keeps me going.
The power of kindness can
generate a lot of energy
that can make
one’s wish come true.
Whenever we need help,
we always meet people
who are willing
to lend us a hand.
When people are working
together, we become
more and more powerful.
I am very grateful for
the help from Heaven
because this is
not something that I can
accomplish by myself.
The key reason
for our success is that
God has given us power.
So many great Bodhisattvas
have come to help us and
I am really very grateful
for all this.
Welcome back to
Good People, Good Works.
Today’s program features
Dr. Wender Yang
of Formosa (Taiwan)
who is the president
and founder
of the HIMA Foundation.
The Foundation started
the New Loulan Project
to restore an ancient oasis
and improve
the lives of residents
of the Loulan region
in Xinjiang, China’s
Taklimakan Desert.
We asked Dr. Yang
what lessons does
the history of Loulan hold
for the rest of the world?
Nowadays,
humans are greedier,
so they use large bulldozers
and electric saws to fell trees.
A tree that took one day
to cut before, takes only
a second to fell now,
and thus we’ve caused
greater damage
to larger areas.
The destruction of Loulan
in the ancient times
serves as a very costly
lesson for us to learn.
Nowadays, the threat
against the ecology
has expanded
to the whole world.
If we don’t
preserve this Earth well,
the Loulan tragedy may
extend to the whole world.
Actually, it is
already happening today.
During
the revitalizing process,
Dr. Yang realized
that the cultivation of
indigenous plants such as
the Apocynum Venetum
(Dogbane) which is used
to make a traditional
herbal tea famous
for its healing properties
could be an avenue
for the Loulan people
to generate income
for themselves.
There are a total of six
types of medicinal plants
that grow only
in the Taklimakan Desert.
In the desert,
there are some
very precious herbs,
but only if they are grown
in the desert
can they have
such a healing effect.
Those herbs are very
nurturing for our body.
They are very
important herbs listed
in the Chinese
“Bible of the Herbs,”
Compendium of
Materia Medica.
We can only find
these herbs in this area.
The New Loulan Project
is not only about
bringing life
back to a barren desert,
it is also about
rediscovering
the ancient Loulan heritage.
The most precious aspect
of the New Loulan Project
is actually
the cultural aspect;
During the process,
we found that there were
four or five ancient cities
in and around the area
of Loulan.
One is in Niya,
one is in Ying Pan,
one is in Loulan and
one is in Milan.
These five sites
were discovered
around 100 years ago.
This area has preserved
the cultural exchange
between the West and
the East in the ancient times
and even the origin of
civilizations, and we’ve
started to write about it.
We also have
some videos about
Loulan’s history over
the past hundred years.
We edited them
into a documentary to
help people understand
the value of this place.
We believe
that people should
love their homeland;
people should see
this place as humanity's
cultural heritage.
If people can understand
this place more, they will
cherish this historical and
cultural heritage more.
In this way, people will
love the Earth more,
as well as
the whole of humanity.
According to the
United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization,
livestock raising
is the main cause
of deforestation
and loss of biodiversity.
Dr. Yang is well aware
of the destruction caused
by meat production
and consumption.
We have been
encouraging people
to eat vegetarian and
reduce meat consumption
as much as possible,
wherever they live,
and they should do
whatever they can to
reduce energy consumption
and carbon emissions.
Through different ways
everyone can help
to save the Earth, which
is also to help ourselves
and our later generations.
What does the future hold
after the New Loulan
Project’s completion?
If we can finish
the New Loulan Project
successfully, it will have
several implications.
We want to make
the 800 farming households
in the preservation area
a model,
where human beings live
in harmony with nature
in the desert.
Currently Southern
Xinjiang has millions
of acres of cotton fields.
We believe if these areas
could be changed
then, in addition
to the southern part,
the desertification
of Xinjiang
can be changed.
If we can restore
the native plants and
the original ecology
in this process,
we can expand
the restoration area
by 10, or 20 times and make
the entire region green.
So the whole environment
will be improved.
In this way,
gradually we can reduce
desertification areas
and even deforestation.
If more people participate
in this kind of project,
we can speed up
the process of
restoration and I
believe that this will help
reduce global warming.
In recognition
of their outstanding work,
Dr. Wender Yang
and team were awarded
the “Life Sustainability
Awards” by
the E-Renlai Magazine
Formosa (Taiwan) for
their selfless contribution
towards the betterment
of the Loulan people
and the region.
We have gained
so much from this Earth
and Mother Nature.
We feel
that there is a call for us
to give back to the Earth
and the people.
This is what we have
always been emphasizing,
that is, the power
of ‘goodness’.
You must believe that
people are really able
to do something.
Dr. Yang is calling on
the world to join hands
and be the change to
save our precious planet.
Greetings to all the viewers
of Supreme Master
Television.
We hope that through
this sharing process,
we can call on people
to take different actions
and work hard together.
We believe that
with your participation,
we can make the Earth
a better place.
With our kind thoughts
and faith we can
change the future
of the whole planet.
Thank you very much.
Our gratitude goes
to Dr. Wender Yang
and all those
working to beautify
the Taklimakan Desert.
Their altruistic efforts
and dedication will surely
bring about a constructive
new chapter in the life
of the Loulan people.
For more details on
the New Loulan Project,
please visit
www.NewLoulan.org
Thank you
for joining us today on
Good People, Good Works.
Next up is
The World Around Us,
after Noteworthy News.
May all peoples awaken
now and quickly switch
to the life-affirming
vegan lifestyle
to preserve our planet.
Woof, woof. Here I come,
to the rescue!
Now, part of her training
is to locate the source.
But just as important
is she’s got to let Joyce,
her partner,
know that she’s found it.
People say
dogs see the world
not with their eyes
but with their noses.
Boots are obviously very
useful to us if the dogs
are working on rubble.
To learn about the role
of rescue dogs
in three different nations,
please watch “Protecting
Search and Rescue Dogs:
Dedicated Teams
from the UK, the US
and South Korea”,
Thursday, May 6,
on Animal World:
Our Co-Inhabitants.