In view of the increasingly worsening environment, a group of
environmental protection volunteers in China has launched the Green
Consumption campaign to encourage all Chinese people to work
together to protect the nation's blue skies and green fields.
Chen Kaifeng, 39 years old, is one of the volunteers. By working
odd jobs, he has managed to walk across 23 provinces in China, covering a total distance
of some 60,000 kilometers. During his six-year long march, Chen has
delivered nearly 2,800 speeches in a bid to call public attention
to environmental protection. Today, he has been appointed by 1,200
schools as extracurricular instructor to teach students about the
importance of environmental protection.
In a recent interview, Chen Kaifeng shared his story with the
journal China Youth:
I was born in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, in east coastal
China. The world famous Grand Canal connecting Beijing and Hangzhou
ran through my hometown. During my childhood I remember that the
town was like a paradise, with blue skies and crystal clear water.
Regrettably, in recent years the river is getting murkier and
murkier.
When I was 33 years old, I worked for a newspaper as a
correspondent. In my spare time, I hosted programs on a local radio
station. But I felt suffocated by such an unchanging life. I wanted
something new and exciting.
When my crazy idea came upon me, I was strolling along a river.
I made up my mind right there and then that I would walk across the
whole country and investigate our environmental protection
situation. In every place I visited, I decided to set up an
environmental protection organization. On my way, I would also
collect various effective environmental protection methods and
spread this knowledge to as many people as possible.
In 2001, I quit my job and finally prepared myself. On my
departure day, my parents came to see me off. When I waved goodbye
to them, I saw clearly the tears swirling in their eyes. Their
reluctant farewell made my heart break. But I was bound to fulfill
my duty and so I embarked on my journey.
In the past six years, I have developed a fixed set of working
procedures. When I arrive at a new place, the first thing I will do
is to collect information about the local environmental situation.
I will then ask schools or resident communities for permission to
deliver speeches, hold discussions, or conduct other activities
like inviting people to sign a banner to show their support for an
environmental protection drive.
Meanwhile, I keep updating my blog with my latest thoughts on
environmental issues and my impression on the local landscapes and
customs. Sometimes, I work with local authorities to investigate a
nearby environment. Sometimes, I conduct investigations all by
myself and then submit the investigation report to local
departments later.
During my journey, I have suffered a great deal of illness, cold
and hunger. I can still remember that on the vast Inner Mongolian
grasslands in northwest China, I was attacked by a group of wolves;
on a trail in Shandong Province on the middle of a plain, I came
face to face with a wild boar; on the Wuyi Mountain in southeast
China's Fujian Province, I was bitten by a poisonous snake.
Fortunately, I have made narrow escapes time after time and always
survived -- I have always been able to continue my trip.
When promoting this environmental protection campaign, I
encountered great difficulties. It gave me great distress when I
failed to make local people understand my goals and actions and
when my suggestions were not accepted by the local authorities.
In a small town in Jiangxi Province, I found that the local
market was filled with vendors selling frogs as food. These frogs
were extremely popular among buyers. To my disappointment, the
local authorities took no notice of what was going on at the
market. We all know that frogs eat insects. Selling them for food
is totally against the concept of green consumption. When I went to
local environmental protection bureau to report this, however, the
official receiving me said they could do nothing to help because
this was the domain of the forestry department. So I went to the
forestry department. There I was sent again to the fishing
department. All officials tried to shun their responsibilities
regarding this issue; they all gave me the run around. At my
insistence, they finally conducted an investigation but concluded
that farmers fed insects to all the frogs on sale, so it would do
no harm to the environment if people ate them.
Similar things happened in many villages in rural China.
People's indifference to environmental deterioration made me
extremely worried. In villages, there are almost no effective
measures to combat ecologically damaging activities. It is common
to see in the countryside wheat chaff burnt in open air, trees
logged at random, rare wild animals hunted indiscriminately, fish
caught with electric currents and stones quarried by ruthlessly
blasting mountains. Maybe most people haven't noticed it, but the
environment has already taken its revenge on us. At present, the
water quality is constantly getting worse in rural areas; it
significantly affects people's health. To raise the farmers'
awareness of environmental protection, I am now compiling a
brochure to teach them about how to protect their environment.
I take great pride in my work, especially my advocacy work in
local primary and middle schools. Enthusiastic students have set up
plenty of environmental protection organizations in their schools.
They are extremely fond of the environmental protection songs I
adapted from the theme songs of popular TV serials.
During my journey, I have been confronted with many problems and
difficulties, but they never depress me because I have also
received much loving care and strong support from people I never
knew before.
Still fresh in my mind is a grandfather I met in Shandong
Province. When I met this old man, he had been waiting for me for
two days. He learnt of my journey from the newspaper. Living on a
moderate retirement pension, the old man managed to buy me a new
bicycle. "It is too fatiguing to travel on foot. My good boy, you
must take care of yourself," the grandpa told me when he held my
hands tightly in his. I didn't accept his kind gift, but whenever I
thought of his benign smile, I felt warm from the bottom of my
heart.
Another thing that deeply moved me happened in Nanning, Guangxi
Province, in southwest China. Two college youths visited me after
hearing of my journey from the media. They insisted on giving me
the wages they had earned by teaching kids during the weekends.
Such things happened everywhere in China. All these kind people
continue to give me constant inspiration during my long hard
trip.
When I returned to the hostel today, it was already late
afternoon. I bought a bag of mantou (steamed buns), which
cost two yuan. With chili sauce and garlic, these mantou
are my daily lunch and dinner. To save money, I have to keep my
spending below 20 yuan per day.
Later at night, I will write in my blog diary. Tomorrow, I must
go out to find a part-time job. There is not much money left in my
pocket. After I spent all my savings I have to do various odd jobs
to earn my living. I have worked in a coal mine, delivered gas
tanks, and unblocked drains; however, even these jobs are hard to
find. Sometimes I have even gone hungry for days when all my money
was used up and I couldn't find a job in time.
When I travel around the country, I write poems and songs about
environmental issues. I also developed a chess game with the theme
of environmental protection drive. Tomorrow, I will contact some
enterprises to see if they can sponsor me in promoting these songs
and my game.
My parents live in my hometown. They always urge me to come
back, find a girlfriend, and get married early. But how can I
consider marriage when my goal has not yet been achieved? I have
been living such a lonely, hard life for six years and now I am
used to it.
Thanks to the journey, I have developed a stronger sense of
responsibility. Environmental protection is a great undertaking of
lasting importance. Although I am as ordinary as any other person
on any street corner, I bear in my mind that a citizen should first
show concern for his state and his last concern should be to seek
to enjoy himself.
It is really gratifying that in the past six years, China has
made much headway in environmental protection. The state has
adopted a series of policies to safeguard environment; the Chinese
people are growing a deeper awareness of environmental protection;
the green consumption is now a hot topic of conversation; the "no
paper consumption" campaign is in full swing in many offices.
I still need three to five years to complete my journey and I
will devote all my rest of my life to promote an environmental
protection drive in China.
(China.org.cn by Chen Xia, November 5, 2007)
