Yanyan

““I want to write her a letter to say thank you.”

Yanyan is Xiaoyu’s close friend, and through Xiaoyu she also became a long-term young volunteer at the conservation station. Her father works away from the village for much of the year, and she grew up largely with her grandparents. This year, she and Xiaoyu were both admitted to high school in Lijiang.

Outgoing and energetic, Yanyan is the cheerful presence in the Shanhe Garden volunteer team. Over the past two years, she and her friends have searched for a garden site, planted flowers, watered seedlings, and joined nature classes and community activities. Through these repeated acts, she has gradually formed a new relationship with the land around her home.

After entering high school, Yanyan received financial support from a donor. Although she has never met the person helping her, she says carefully, “I want to write her a letter to say thank you.” She looks forward to the possibility of university.

Her grandfather is a church elder, but Yanyan has her own position. She respects his faith while stating clearly that she does not want to become religious herself.

Between a traditional family, modern education, and rural conservation, Yanyan is finding her own place. She is both a child of the valley and a young person beginning to move into a wider world.

“I respect my grandfather’s faith, but I do not want to be religious myself.”