Yin Yunzhen introduces to Sakolsky the harvest from the once-barren wasteland. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT On Monday afternoon, American teacher Ronald Sakolsky visited the homeland of Chinese desert fighter Yin Yuzhen in Uxin Banner of Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This was a place the American man had visited in 2000 and it has completely changed since then. In 1999, Sakolsky, a teacher in a China-US education exchange program, was touched by a report on Yin and her husband's afforestation efforts in the harsh wilderness of Mu Us Desert, and raised $5,000 to support her green cause. During that visit, they took pictures - in front of the sunken pit where the Yin couple once resided and in the barren land with a finger-thin sapling they had just planted against a backdrop of dust and bare earth. What has the $5,000 changed? On Monday, they came to the Sakolsky forest - a permanent tribute honoring Sakolsky's early contribution to the region's ecological revival - and replicated the vintage pictures, standing in front of a pit that has long been abandoned and beside a newly planted sapling. This time, however, there are bushes and trees in the background. This contrast not only witnessed their friendship across time and the Pacific Ocean, but also showcased a promise Yin has kept for 27 years and a green dream that has been made possible through generations of joint unwavering efforts from Yin, her husband and countless other sand fighters. Homecoming with family cooking
Yin hosted Sakolsky on Monday at her home, filling the air with the aroma of home-cooked meals during their long-awaited reunion. Watermelons were served along with other fresh fruits and vegetables, all harvested locally. Yin told the Global Times earlier that she learned the English word "more" to persuade him to eat more. In 1999, Yin had few options for showing her hospitality, so she cooked a bowl of plain noodles for Sakolsky. Now, the harsh wasteland has transformed into a vibrant green oasis, thanks to unwavering afforestation efforts. In the courtyard, the Global Times reporter saw Yin grinning from ear to ear with pride as she introduced the produce from the farmland - green pepper longer than a palm, a bottle gourd even bigger than Yin's head, and bags of foxtail millet packaged with the assistance of Yin's grandchildren, who are proud of the family's generations of commitment to green causes. During a tour of Yin's home, Sakolsky was impressed by the beautiful house with its green courtyard, saying "You deserve every centimeter of this house." Throughout the visit, he repeatedly praised Yin's hands, which the desert fighter and model worker used to change both the land and her own life through arduous work. The $5,000 Sakolsky donated in 1999 was equivalent to three years' income for Yin's entire family at the time. Today, that money has grown into more than 50,000 trees. But Yin's journey did not stop there. Over the following decades, with the support of China's growing ecological restoration policies — including subsidies for afforestation and compensation for forest managers — she transformed the barren land into a productive family forest farm. Her success has inspired many others in the region to take up tree planting and sand control, transforming what was once a desperate struggle into a sustainable livelihood. From the sandy hollow where the Yin couple lived in in 1985 and the earth hut they resided in until 1993, to the solid brick house Sakolsky saw when he last visited, and the two-story house the big family now lives in, the change in living environment is a clear example of ecological dividends. Uxin Banner lies in the heartland of the Mu Us Desert. The desertification rate was over 90 percent in the 1950s and forestation coverage was merely 7.2 percent as of 1980. Now, the forestation rate has increased to 33 percent, while plantation coverage has expanded to 85 percent, per official data.
Sakolsky and Yin enjoy watermelons and other fruits at Yin's home. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT Carry on the greenness, kindness This miracle would have been impossible without numerous people like Yin, long-term systematic planning and scientific governance. Chen Ziliang, an expert from the local forestry and grassland bureau, said that Mu Us Desert's sand‑control journey has evolved from collective afforestation to contract desert‑reclamation, moving beyond the simple goal of "keeping trees alive" to restoring vegetation based on water‑resource conditions. Putting the idea of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" into practice, Uxin Banner no longer views "greenness" and "growth" as an either‑or proposition. On restored sandy lands, the under‑forest economy, eco‑agriculture and eco‑tourism have flourished. Sand‑fixing shrubs are now processed into animal feed and biomass fuel, and local authorities are exploring photovoltaic‑powered desert control, the Global Times learned. Sand control is no longer just about keeping sand away; it's a development approach that guarantees a greener and better living environment alongside a booming economy and increasing incomes. On Monday afternoon, when Sakolsky finally stepped into the forest named after him, this American teacher witnessed the Chinese woman's perseverance and commitment to her promises. The $5,000 donated without expectations has grown into a thriving forest of around 50,000 trees. "A promise is a promise. Ms. Yin fulfilled her promise," Sakolsky said. After 27 years, the wasteland is green, and Sakolsky and Yin are "brother and sister." "This is the answer to how we guide young people: We must teach them love and perseverance. We need to show young people photos of Ms. Yin planting trees, digging the soil with her bare hands," Sakolsky remarked while packing a jar of sand. He said he planned to bring it back to the US, telling his grandchildren it is not just a jar of sand, but "a jar of love." Sakolsky told the Global Times earlier that the younger generation only knows about the dust-covered landscape from photos and stories of the elderly. It is important to tell them how the greenness is achieved, and how every single person can contribute to making an extensive forest in the harshest environment. "I see where China and America can work together. I see it, so I will not quit. She [Yin] never quit. 'Quit' is not in her vocabulary," Sakolsky said with emotion on Monday. "Chinese and Americans can be family. We can get over the differences if we focus on the similarities... If we focus on our similarities and not our differences, we can solve the problems." At the end of Monday's schedule, Yin and Sakolsky planted another sapling together, just as they did about three decades ago, but in a completely different landscape. This new sapling carries on the story of not only greenness through generations of joint efforts, but also kindness across the Pacific Ocean. 。 7月25日，箭牌瓷砖在上海举办了2026年秋季新品发布会。从宋境系列的迭代到全场景砖配体系的深化，这场发布会透露出的信号清晰而坚定——箭牌瓷砖正在将宋代美学从一种“设计风格”升维为一种“空间底层逻辑”。 而这一逻辑的拷问，远不止于发布会上的聚光灯之下。当一间居所被精心铺陈，一块砖究竟能承载什么？ 雨过天青处，宋韵入砖来 北宋年间，汝窑匠人于釉水中调和玛瑙末，烧出“雨过天青云破处”的温润色泽。
箭牌瓷砖自2023年起将宋代美学作为产品主线，历经四年深耕，推出了宋代美学三部曲-绒·石PRO系列、寻系列、宋境系列。此次发布会新品在宋境系列上迭代升级，正式推出第二代宋境系列。 这一系列以宋代六大名品“玉、石、锦、画、木、璞”为灵感，并非复刻古物，而是将宋人“不争浓艳、偏爱清简”的心性，经由砖面译作当代居所的语言。 
以去年备受青睐的「宋境·锦」为例，砖面暗纹如锦缎隐现，手抚过处，有丝缕般的微凸肌理，华美敛于光影之间，不输宋绣的精致笔法。 
「宋境·锦」产品效果图 而今年新推的「宋境·石」与「宋境·璞」，一者自带天然山水纹理，光线下泛着青瓷般的珠光柔晕，铺在客厅便如将一幅浅绛山水横陈于足下；另一者则全然哑光素面，米灰底色不争不抢，像一张未落笔的宣纸，留白给家具、给光线，也留给居住者一日奔波后终于松弛下来的那口气。 
「宋境·石」产品效果图 
「宋境·璞」产品效果图 千年前的“淡、柔、和、简、雅”，就这样被一砖一瓦译成了日常。触摸一块砖，触到的不再是冰冷的建材，而是宋画中的山脊、宋瓷上的釉光、宋词里那阵穿过竹帘的晚风。 瓷砖不止是遮蔽地面的材料，它也可以是文化的承托，是生活美学的落笔。
以箭牌瓷砖高端丝绒柔光工艺、奶油风爆款——金丝绒系列子母款为例。715/126/800三尺寸同色配套，可实现全屋地面、墙面、卫生间通铺统一。 其子母砖相生相成，尺寸各异而气脉相通，色彩相承而层次分明，肌理相映而动静皆宜。
金丝绒子母款产品空间设计 金丝绒子母款写就的这阕空间小令，也不过是箭牌瓷砖全场景空间叙事中的一隅。 若将视野展开，便会发现箭牌真正的用心，在于让偏爱繁华者，得其所华；偏爱简素者，得其所素。每一种选择，都被郑重以待；每一处空间，都被诗意注满。 从宋境系列的高远清雅，到金丝绒系列的温软亲厚，从双模轻纹的艺术孤品气质，再到瓷木美学砖的自然拙朴意趣，箭牌瓷砖以一条完整的产品脉络，为每一种生活偏好找到了恰如其分的落笔之处。 “各有偏爱，各得所爱”——箭牌瓷砖这句轻轻落下的品牌主张，不喧哗，不刻意，却如宋人尺牍中的一句短笺，朴素而深情。 大国品牌，器以载道 2026年初，箭牌家居正式入选央视《大国品牌》。这不是一顶凭空而至的冠冕，而是三十余年深耕的积淀与回响。 作为质感轻纹砖品类的开创者，箭牌瓷砖成立了“理想空间研究院”，邀请百位私宅设计师驻场共创，将一线设计需求直接嵌入研发流程；也将数万户真实家庭的居住痛点，让“防滑”“易洁”“温感”这些关键词，成为产品迭代的指南针；更参与起草5A新国标，并联合中国陶瓷工业协会发布《轻纹砖》团体标准，将企业经验淬炼为行业共同的起跑线。 从“我造什么，你用什么”到“你我共筑，各得其美”，箭牌瓷砖的生态共建，是以标准为骨架，以设计师为经络，而千万个家庭的日常，是生生不息的血液。 然而，真正让一个品牌配得上“大国”二字的，不仅是标准的制定权，更是对“器以载道”的坚守。 宋代美学之所以千年不衰，不仅因其画境之雅、瓷色之润，更因其背后那份“格物致知”的匠心精神——于细微处见功夫，于平凡中见不凡。 
大国品牌，贵在有根脉。箭牌瓷砖的根，扎在三十余年对中国家庭居住方式的深刻洞察里，也扎在千年宋韵的文化厚土之中。其不追逐短暂的潮流喧嚷，而是以“格物”之心，日日打磨、代代精进，在一砖一瓦之间，完成了从“中国制造”到“中国美学”的价值跃迁。 器以载道，道不远人。这便是箭牌瓷砖作为大国品牌，写下的最深沉的注脚。 
