Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
HOHHOT, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) — At 6 a.m., a pale light spreads across the Kubuqi Desert as Zhang Xiwang, stepping through the dew, bends down to pluck a fragile stalk of sandwort and lets its grains run through his fingers.
"Ten years ago, when the wind blew, the sand would reach your knees. Now the sand in my fist is damp, and the willows we planted last year are sprouting new shoots," said Zhang Xiwang, a 54-year-old "sand wrestler."
Behind him, endless photovoltaic panels glitter in the rising sun, while purple alfalfa sways below, creating a living picture of the Chinese model, which is constantly being improved.
The 10th International Kubuqi Desert Forum concluded on Wednesday in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, bringing together more than 260 representatives from China, Saudi Arabia, Mongolia, Brazil and other countries and regions to discuss issues related to combating desertification.
In the past, northwestern China was under the rule of a "yellow tyranny." Sandstorms obscured the skies, and the dunes grew year after year, threatening the very nature of the soil.
In the late 1970s, China launched a decisive campaign to combat desertification. Under the Sanbei Three Norths Forest Shelterbelt Project, the world's largest afforestation initiative, launched in 1978 to restore the northern, northwestern, and northeastern regions, approximately 480 million mu (approximately 32 million hectares) of forest were planted, increasing the forest cover ratio from 5.05 percent in 1977 to 13.57 percent, said Tang Fanglin, deputy head of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration.
On an autumn day on the edge of the Kubuqi Desert, 56-year-old farmer Wang Jianguo squats under photovoltaic panels, his weathered face beaming with joy as he watches the alfalfa bloom.
His home is in the Hanjinqi district of Ordos City, home to a photovoltaic base that manages the desert, which was once a sandy wasteland. In 2020, a local project was launched to combine desert management with clean energy development and targeted planting.
His family's annual income now reaches 60,000 yuan (about $8,421), more than three times their previous farming income, thanks to income from land transfer, daily maintenance of photovoltaic panels, forage harvesting, and selling alfalfa grown under the panels to cooperatives.
Tourism is also booming. Recently, 109 tourists from the Republic of Korea visited the picturesque Yinkengtala area in Ordos to enjoy activities such as sandboarding, camel rides, and dune bashing.
From June 11 to September 15, this picturesque area welcomed approximately 11,000 visitors from the Republic of Korea. The desert, which once terrified the world, is now becoming an attractive tourist destination, offering sand as clear as the sky and folk songs that seem extraordinary from the back of a camel.
The Kubuqi Desert, the seventh largest in China, is located in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Years of greening efforts have transformed over 646,000 hectares into lush vegetation, restoring biodiversity and significantly improving the local ecology.
In 2015, the Kubutsi forestry community received the Champions of the Earth award, the United Nations' highest environmental honor. -0-
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