Chongqing - Fifteen foreign youths walked into the fire-stricken area in Xiema Community, Jinyun Mountain, in Chongqing's Beibei District on February 10. They built eco-craft trails under the guidance of trail construction experts.

On February 10, 15 foreign youths entered the fire-stricken area in Xiema Community, Jinyun Mountain, in Chongqing's Beibei District. (Photo/ Zhai Kui)

Due to the extreme heat last summer, China's southwestern metropolis Chongqing fought several forest fires around the mountains. Since August 21, 2022, thousands of firefighters, armed police, and volunteers have fought the wildfire in Beibei for the fifth consecutive day. Beibei officially announced that the last flame had been extinguished at 12:31 a.m. on August 25. 

After about five months, the fire-stricken area in Jinyun Mountain, known as "the lung of Chongqing," has grown out of the green bamboo. 

"The thing that touches me the most now is that I have seen the trees were been burned, but the new one has grown next to it. So I think it symbolizes hope. Although you have encountered many difficulties, one day there will have some new beginnings," said Al-Haimi Yousef, a Yemen international student studying at Chongqing University.

The foreign youths started to build the eco-craft trails that use materials found on-site under the guidance of three trail construction experts. "I feel really happy to come here and to participate in this activity. I know the meaning of this activity to make all these things relive it. So it will bring a sense to the forest again. After we arrived and did all this stuff, it will give a nice sense of the forest. So it means a lot to me to participate in this activity," said Nawaz Ali, a Pakistan international student studying at Chongqing University.

Sun Zhi, the founder of Optimistic Earth and one of the eco-craft trail construction experts, introduced that the eco-craft trail they were constructing is called the Ant Trail. It was built nearby the first isolation zone of the wildfire. They wanted to repair the trail from its starting point of the isolation belt to where the fire broke out in Jinyun Mountain, Hutou Village.

"We hope that after this fire, more people could retake this route and fix these trails that were damaged by wildfires. Let more people through this route recognize some of the impacts of wildfires at the time. I think this road will be longer and longer. And our path to natural education would be better and wider," Sun added.

(As interns, Zhai Kui, Wu Minglin, and He Hanyue also contributed to the report.)