Hima Foundation
Mission

The Hima Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the people and ecology of the lost city state of Loulan in the Xinjiang province of China. Loulan was once a thriving and essential trading post on the Silk Road. It is currently threatened by the rapid growth of the Taklimakan Desert. Loulan is losing its battle with nature. The Hima Foundation is committed to improving the odds for Loulan’s natives and its land.

To the Chinese people Loulan is viewed as a mystical place that once flourished between the second century B.C and the sixth century A.D.  It was an oasis that supported lives and had a splendid history and a diversified culture. It is believed that the ancient city state vanished due to deforestation. Now it is one of the most treacherous and barren places on earth, consumed by the desert bit by bit.

On this arid land there is a lack of education, employment and healthcare for the descendants of Loulan. The lost tribe of Loulan is threatened by the desert and may be forced out of the land by advancing sands forever. The native inhabitants’ traditional ways of life are in jeopardy. The Hima Foundation’s New Loulan project is acting upon these imperative problems now. The foundation’s goal is to think globally and act locally. Experts and volunteers in the organization recognize that the effects of the invading desert are not only imperiling the lives in and around Lowlan but are also adding to climate change in East Asia and the west coast of United States. Their work both is simple and straightforward. They are committed to slowing the growth rate of the desert while improving the livelihood of Loulan’s inhabitants. This is accomplished  by employing local labor and planting indigenous trees and plants with the help of experts. These include Populus Euphratica, Salt Cedars, Dogbanes/Indian hemps and Liquorices. The foundation is also working to care for the young and the elderly members of the tribe.  In addition the Hima Foundation sponsors the restoration of ancient sacred sites throughout the region. It also assists and encourages Loulan natives to maintain and rebuild their culture.

The New Loulan project is a conservation project focusing on the integration and harmony of the indigenous people and their environment. The project benefits both the inhabitants and their habitat. The foundation profoundly respects its partners in the desert and through its work the volunteers respond to the needs and concerns of the residents and the surrounding environment. In every sense the New Loulan project involves local commitment and tribal participation.

Birth of the foundation:

The Hima foundation was founded by Taiwan born, Dr. Wender Yang. In 2006 Dr. Yang gave up his six- figure Wall Street salary to dedicate himself full time to the revitalization of Loulan and to halting the further expansion of the Taklimakan desert into the Loulan area of Xinjiang, China. Dr. Yang was inspired by a well respected elderly Japanese man he met on a trip to Nepal in 1994. This hermit had been living in a remote area of Nepal for eight years where he taught the locals how to plant vegetables and raise chickens. Dr. Yang realized that he could both challenge himself and achieve spiritual inspiration by helping underprivileged people in isolated areas.  In 2000 he travelled to Xinjaing in search of the lost city of Loulan. After traveling through the desert for three days in vain he was almost ready to give up. By chance he saw two people walking under the burning desert sun. He asked them if they needed a ride. One of the men taken aback by his presence asked why he was there. Dr. Yang replied that he was looking for the people of Loulan. To his surprise they replied that they were from Loulan. After one of the men parted company the other guided Dr. Yang on a seven day journey on foot to the tribe’s encampment. Upon reaching the community Dr. Yang tabulated that there were about eight hundred tribal households within the camp. The tribe was living in poverty. They shared their makeshift homes made of tamarisk tree logs with their cows and sheep. In spite of the evident hardship the tribesmen were enduring Dr. Yang was elated that he finally met them. The stench of the animals and the excitement of the encounter kept him awake most of the first night.

The Loulan tribe had been living along the banks of the Tarim River. The river flows had been decreasing for many decades. This had forced the clan to relocate up the river banks nearly two hundred kilometers.

Dr. Yang wanted to help the tribe and often asked members what he could do to help. They didn’t have an answer for him. He finally left the camp after one week. It took him another seven days of walking to reach civilization. After leaving Xinjiang the desert tribesmen remained on his mind. He longed to be of assistance and wondered what he could possibly do to better their lives.

Progress:

In 2001 he returned to Xinjiang and the Loulan tribal home. During this trip the guide from the first encounter took him to visit the ruins of the ancient city of Meelan. On the way there they passed a forest of dead Populus trees. Under the burning sun he saw a man walking between the trees taking measurements of something.  Two hundred kilometers later it occurred to Dr. Yang that he should probably talk with him. He convinced the guide that they should return and find him which they did.

The man in the woods was ecology Professor Yu Mee Tee of Xinjiang University. Professor Yu told him that it would take more than seven days to walk through the forest. He explained that the forest had died due to logging and the lack of water. Professor Yu introduced Dr. Yang to Professor Xia Xun Chen and Professor Tian Chang Yen.  Professor Xia is an expert in ecology with a focus on Xinjiang. He also has great influence within the Chinese government. Together they discussed possible methods for halting the rapid desertification of Xinjiang.  The chance meeting with Professor Yu had given Dr. Yang valuable ideas about how to help the Loulan tribe.

In 2002 Professor Xia received a grant from the Chinese government for 10.7 billion Chinese Yuan (~$1.6 billion US) for the design and construction of a four hundred kilometer canal that would divert water from Lake Bosten to the Tarim river. The additional water was to be used for irrigation and revitalization of plant life along the river banks.  Part of the grant allocated to relocate the Loulan tribe and build them new housing.  After the housing was built the tribesmen decided not to move in because the daily temperature inside the houses would often reach 60 degrees Celsius (140 F).   The project did not include a plan to plant trees. There was no money left when it was finished.

Dr. Yang spent more and more time in Xinjiang. He resigned from his Wall street position in 2006 and became fully committed to helping the Loulan tribe. He began using his own money to buy satellite maps in order to monitor the growth and distribution of trees in the area. He also had experts analyze to the local soil and water to determine the prospects for planting.

With his own money and donations from a few good friends he started the Hima Foundation. Its goal from the beginning has been to help the tribe and the region.   During the process he realized that in order to solve the ecological problems they would also have to address the widespread poverty prevalent in the community. Advanced technology alone wasn’t enough. He realized that if they planted indigenous plants such as the Dogbane-Indian hemp and Liquorices instead of cotton they might be able to slow the advance of the desert. They could also profit by selling herbal tea made from the Dogbane. Both plants grow well in arid locations and require much less water than cotton.  Dogbane also has health benefits that could make tea from it’s leaves an attractive product in many markets. Dr. Chen Jian Chuen of Taipei researched the Dogbane and found that it could be a contributing factor in the observed longevity of the tribe’s people. It may also be good for high blood pressure.  It seemed likely that profits from the tea could eventually help fund the foundation’s long term revitalization efforts.

With money from the Hima foundation Dr. Yang hired local tribesmen to begin the mass plantings. One of the problems they faced in the beginning was getting the plants to germinate. Dr. Yang’s original guide suggested a solution. He took him to fields to show him the dung from the sheep and cows contained Dogbane seeds. The animals would eat them but could not digest them.  These seeds had a much higher germination rate than regular seeds. In fact the germination rate approached almost eighty percent.  The survival rate of the young plants was also much higher.  Dr. Yang was thrilled that he could spend very little money to buy the seed impregnated dung rather than buying seeds on the market. With the help of Professor Yu’s team they were able to plant Dogbane with very little water.  They only need to water the plants twice a year for the first three years as the plant matures. After that they only water them once a year. By 2006 they planted about three square kilometers with Dogbanes, Liquorices and other plants. By 2009 they had planted nearly thirty square kilometers.  By the second half of 2006 the Dogbane plants yielded a considerable harvest of Dogbane leaves.  Dr. Yang sought Japanese technology consultants from Yokohama and tea experts from Taiwan to help formulate a marketable form of Dogbane tea. They decided to name the final product Loulan Tea. 

Apart from helping to revitalize the land and economy of the Loulan people Dr. Yang has endeavored to preserve their culture by recording their music and dance. With his help one of the tribal dances called the “Lion Dance”  became the first intangible cultural heritage to be recognized by the Chinese government.  He also hired professionals to produce CDs and DVDs in order to immortalize this heritage. 

Dr. Yang hopes that one day people around the globe will appreciate the charm of Loulan while drinking Loulan tea.  He is confident that Loulan tea will compete with other teas on the world market. As a result of his efforts the whole world may one day play a part in halting rapid expansion of the Taklimakan desert.

Through the years Dr. Yang has invested more than one million U.S. dollars of his own money in this revitalization effort. He has persevered in spite of his friends’ and colleagues’ frequent attempts to discourage him. His efforts have kept him away from home and family for long stretches of time.  He has promised his children that he would fully support them as they pursue their education and help them achieve whatever academic degrees they desire.

The Hima foundation currently donates about $150,000 U.S. annually to the Loulan project. The foundation plans to use the profit from the tea to hire more locals to continue the process of reforestation while simultaneously improving the living standards of the Loulan tribe.

In the few short years a mutually beneficial relationship has developed between the native tribe, the indigenous plant life and the environment. This was originally viewed as an impossible dream. Today Dr. Yang is progressively turning his dream into reality.  He once jokingly said, “In the past my boss was the highest paid professional on Wall street. Currently my boss is the planet and some of the poorest people on it. This is the most challenging work I ever had.”  Perhaps it is his most gratifying labor also. He also mentioned that, “I did not achieve this by myself. Many friends helped with these efforts”.  

We are racing with time to save this fragile land and its inhabitants.