On Sunday, Ronald Sakolsky touched down in Ordos, where Yin Yuzhen and her family greeted him at with flowers and a warm embrace 27 years in the making.

Back in 1999, while teaching in Luoyang, Sakolsky was moved by Yin's story of fighting desertification and raised $5,000 for the cause. She used the money to plant 50,000 trees which have since grown into a towering forest in the Maowusu sandy area.

The two met briefly in 2000 but lost touch for over two decades — until this May, when Yin posted a video asking for help in finding him. Eventually, with some help from netizens, they reconnected online.