Can a small group of people make a difference on a global scale? On the Hetao plains of China, the persistence of three generations of indigenous people has proven that the answer to this question is a resounding ‘yes’. ‘Planting a Seed of Hope’, a short movie created by Geely Auto, takes us on the journey of their struggle in turning a barren landscape into a desert oasis.
The Kubuqi Desert is the seventh-largest desert in China. But what was once a vast sea of nothingness is now almost unrecognisable – huge green spaces show on NASA satellite imagery where once was miles upon miles of barren land.
Source: www.nasa.gov
But the story of the area’s transformation is not a quick and easy one. Generations of families tirelessly dug, planted and watered what was once mere dust, and it was their perseverance that finally led to the rebirth of nature.
It has been reported by NASA that between the years of 2000 and 2017, 25% of the increases in green spaces throughout the entire world have come from China. Behind this number is a group of people appropriately called ‘Curers of the Desert’ who have worked around the clock, day after day, to create a magnificent transformation.
Geely Auto was so inspired by this tale that they dedicated a short film which recreates the 30 years over which the group gave their blood, sweat and tears to make the world a better, greener place.
The Kubuqi Desert, an area struck by sandstorms on a weekly basis.
The film tells the story of a boy who, looked after by his grandmother, was taught that a simple action, when done with persistence, can change the world. Alongside his guardian, he spent his childhood setting up grass patches, transplanting trees and then irrigating the land. After leaving his hometown to study in university he continued his mission by spreading his message to all those who will listen, including his university classmates, some of whom had never even heard of the desert. His message was simple: what they wanted was green in their eyes and a home in their heart.
The Kubuqi Desert is a harsh place; many would not be able to survive in a place that is struck by sandstorms around once per week and catching glimpse of the sun is a rarity. However, not only did the indigenous people stay to face the storms they also decided to make a change. Using their own traditional knowledge of agriculture, paired with modern scientific methods and a mantra of persistence, they would set out to make a transformation that would be felt on a global scale.
Most have little knowledge of the Kubuqi Desert.
A simple action, when done with persistence, can change the world.
At the story’s conclusion, we can see the result of their efforts: a landscape void of all lifeforms becoming green and able to support flora, fauna and wild animals; life and vigour has been injected into what was once a sea of sand. To put this in numbers, the amount of Kubuqi Desert that is covered by vegetation increased dramatically from 16.2% in 2002 to 53% in 2016, which brought with it a Green Economy. This goes to show that a simple action, when done with persistence, can change the world.
The message of the story was especially close to the heart of Geely Auto; the notion of pushing forward through adversity while encouraging others to do the same is an idea shared by the brand and others in the Geely Group. The story’s beginning in the year 1998 is the year in which the first Geely car officially left the assembly line. Over the following 20 years, much like the people of the desert, Geely’s cars have always adhered to their original intention and continued moving forward with persistence.
Like a car travelling smoothly along an open road, time continuously moves forward and Geely’s efforts over the past 33 years have yielded generous, but well-earned results.
Persevering with Geely’s goals will allow the brand to provide high-quality products and services, which in turn will lead to the development of the company’s development in areas including internationalisation and technology. This will be done with the help of the company’s five major R&D centres, and five design centres in key cities around the world, which boast a total of 20,000 staff who are all taking the group into the future.
Check the full video below:
The video can also be found on YouTube here.