On a windy afternoon, a gray-haired man carrying a shovel and pickax shuffles on crutches to the foot of a hill. There is no path through the protruding white rocks.

Ma Sanxiao, a 63-year-old legless veteran, continues his 10-year daily routine of planting trees on a hill near his home in Jingxing county of Shijiazhuang, capital of North China's Hebei province, on Saturday. [Zheng Jinran/China Daily]

The man sits down with his back against one of the stones, puts his crutches aside and detaches his artificial legs. Wearing ragged gloves, he begins pulling himself up the hill.

Twenty minutes later, he reaches a small flat area. Unloading his tools, he deepens a hole he dug the day before and plants a Chinese parasol tree in it. Then he crawls to an inlet nearby to water it.

Over the past 10 years, in this slow, methodical way, Ma Sanxiao, a 63-year-old legless veteran, has planted more than 3,100 trees in the hills in Jingxing county of Shijiazhuang, capital of North China's Hebei province.

"I got blood poisoning and received treatment when I was in the service in Fujian province in 1974. It got worse after I left the army so I had to amputate my right leg in 1985 and my left in 2005," Ma said, patting his legs with a sigh.

Seven major operations and constant medicine have drained his savings. A television and two wheelchairs are the only possessions in his one-story house that might remind one of any modern lifestyle.

But Ma won't allow himself to remain idle, although as a veteran he gets a 400-yuan ($62) subsidy from the local government every month, enough to cover his basic living costs and medicine.

"I was a soldier and a fighter. I can't lie in bed waiting for help," he said firmly.

In 2001, inspired by another tree-planting story on TV, Ma decided to follow suit.

He gets up at 5 am every day, then goes on crutches to the nearby hills. Because it would waste time to eat at home, he usually takes prepared food with him, such as steamed buns.

Ma said he cannot remember how many times he has fallen down the hills or into trees over the years. Once, he even lost the little finger of his right hand.