Origins

Spring has put a spirit of youth in everything and so does it to tree planting. The rule of nature has lasted from ancient times. A poem written by Du Fu goes: “Would you send me a hundred of peach saplings before spring, to be planted in Huanhua village where I am living.” Su Shi also said in his poem: “Standing at Su Causeway feeling Spring breeze blows, watching peach blossoms dancing together with willows.” Tree planting, our tradition in the early spring, is not only a simple plant growing activity, but also a hope for better life.

A painting from Wu Guanzhong

The Developments of Modern Arbor Day

The modern Arbor Day was originated from America’s Nebraska, which was a barren and desert plain before the 19th century. In 1872, J. Sterling Morton, a famous American agronomist, suggested setting an arbor day in Nebraska to encourage the local residences to participate in this planned afforestation. The state government adopted this suggestion and announced the third Wednesday in April as the Arbor Day, which turned the desert into a forest with six hundred million trees.

In 1885, the state council announced officially Morton’s birthday, April 22, as the Arbor Day in honor of his achievements in the state afforestation.

The Origin of Chinese Arbor Day

Chinese Arbor Day could be originated from 1915. A petition for setting the Tomb-sweeping Day as Chinese Arbor Day was submitted to the Beiyang government by foresters regarding the forestry depression at that time, which was officially approved by the government in July 1915 at the initiative of Sun Yat-sen.

Sun Yat-sen, one of the first advocates of afforestation, stressed in 1893 that “it’s essentials to learn agriculture eagerly and pay attention to arbors if China wants to be a powerful country”. In memory of Sun Yat-sen, March 12, his death anniversary, was decided as the new Arbor Day in 1928.

In February of 1979, the sixth session of the Fifth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China officially approved to celebrate Arbor Day on March 12 proposed by the State Council.

The emblem of Chinese Arbor Day

ANT FOREST

China’s long-history tree planting tradition has contributed to various beautiful tales about afforestation, which impacts the Chinese to be dedicated to tree-planting campaigns. With the popularization of ecological applications such as ANT FOREST in recent years, tree planting has become part of Chinese people’s life, and accordingly, incredible achievements have been made.

An image from NASA's official website

So, have you planted a tree today?