The Taklimakan Desert, the largest desert in China, was completely encircled by a sand-blocking green belt that stretched 3,046 kilometers on Nov. 28, 2024 in Hotan prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Following the arrangements of the prefecture in recent years, Hotan county has made sustained efforts to combat desertification, thus improving the living environment and boosting the development of relevant industries.

According to the results of the sixth national monitoring survey on desertification, the county has made remarkable progress in managing sandified land, reducing the total sandified land area by over 600,000 mu (40,000 hectares).

The county, once particularly vulnerable to nature's harsh realities, has achieved major success thanks to collective efforts and innovative approaches.

Situated along the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, Hotan county has long been affected by desertification and sandification. Recent years have seen the county implement a series of measures including grassland restoration and afforestation, effectively curbing the spread of desertification and sandification.

"We have grown wind-resistant plants like rose willows, sacsaoul trees, and sea buckthorn trees, increased riverside vegetation along the Yurungkash River and Karakash River, and enhanced the network of farmland shelter forests to prevent sand from entering waterways and farmland, together building a solid ecological barrier," said Guo Dandan, deputy director of Hotan county's forestry and grassland bureau.

These efforts have improved land utilization while enhancing the ecosystem stability and sustainability of ecosystems, Guo added.

Beyond traditional approaches, the county has actively explored new management models. Over the past years, it introduced a new energy development company to build a 500,000-kilowatt photovoltaic project that also helps desertification control in the desert wasteland of Langru town, yielding both economic and ecological benefits.

The success of these measures can be seen visually across the region, like in Tageairike village, Awat town, where a new patch of green at the desert's edge has appeared. The village was once severely plagued by sand.

"Now the sandy areas are turning green. I generate income from previously barren land," said Kadir Usman, a local resident.

He grows Cistanches Herba, a kind of Chinese herbal medicine, underneath sacsaoul trees, improving the local environment and bringing economic returns to himself and surrounding villagers.

In 2019, Kadir Usman quit his red date wholesale business to devote himself to desert control. "I didn't want my hometown and future generations to be trapped by endless yellow sand," he said.

Kadir Usman immediately faced funding challenges. Qi Min, then first Party secretary of the village, helped him obtain loans and apply for subsidies.

Kadir Usman began by experimentally growing 127 mu of Cistanches Herba, which yielded some benefits. Encouraged by this success, he contracted 800 mu of sandy land.

With support from various parties, Kadir Usman gradually mastered large-scale cultivation techniques of Cistanches Herba. In 2023, he began seeing substantial returns, with a yield of over 200 kilograms per mu and annual income exceeding 3 million yuan ($413,901.6). Meanwhile, other villagers shared his benefits. During the two-month harvesting period, Kadir Usman employed 20 nearby villagers every day, with each earning 120 yuan per day.

The Cistanches Herba industry has become crucial for increasing people's incomes in Hotan county.

"We adopt a business model that features cooperation among companies, bases, cooperatives and farmers to build large-scale bases of psammophytes, ensuring that farmers gain greater benefits from the Cistanches Herba industry," Guo said.

With a long history of rice cultivation, Daoxiang village in Baihe township, adjacent to Hotan county's urban area, serves as a demonstration area for the systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts. It's also a model village for the transformation of the living environment, rural revitalization, and modern and healthy lifestyles.

"The village was once tightly surrounded by sand dunes, making travel extremely difficult, and villagers lived from hand to mouth," said Qin Hong, Party chief of Baihe township.

Qin said the village's tremendous change began in 2021 with over 1,800 mu of contiguous rice paddies developed using assistance funds, which significantly increased the rice yield to over 500 kilograms per mu.

According to Qin, the village embarked on a path of transforming itself into a folk culture village integrating dining, accommodation, tourism, shopping, and entertainment.

Thanks to the transformation, the village has taken on a brand-new look, with distinctive B&B hotels, cafes, and various kinds of stores and restaurants. The once little-known village has become a popular tourist destination.