This year marks the 70th anniversary of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Our special series "Xinjiang in 70 Years: Progress and Prosperity," highlights the region's transformation across industry, culture, ecology, and livelihoods. In the first episode, we travel to Makit County, on the edge of the Taklimakan Desert. Once a sea of death, it's now home to forests, farms, and new beginnings. Our reporter Tao Yuan meets the people helping to turn the desert green, bringing new life to the region.

Makit County, in the Kashi region of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It sits on the southwestern edge of the Taklamakan, the world's second-largest shifting sand desert.

Yin Honghai was assigned to work here as an agricultural official in 2005.

YIN HONGHAI Party Secretary, Makit County Desertification Control Center "I was sitting in the pickup truck, and it made me reflect on life. What have I got myself into? I couldn't imagine that there was such a village, that such a group of farmers was still living here."

In his first year, one event left a mark he would never forget. He had taken over a watermelon field so farmers could focus on other jobs. Then, a sudden sandstorm struck.

YIN HONGHAI Party Secretary, Makit County Desertification Control Center "I was holding on to the greenhouse plastic. Boom – In an instant, it yanked me up into the air. And in the end, what was left in my hands? Just two little pieces of the plastic sheeting I stubbornly refused to let go of. Everything else was torn apart, and blown into the sky. By the time the farmers came, there was nothing left. Even now, I still carry a sense of guilt."

2012 was the opportunity Yin Honghai had been waiting for. To fight for land for survival, Makit County launched a massive desert control campaign.

Nearly all of the county's 300,000 residents took part, building roads, digging wells, laying power lines, and planting trees – all at once.

YIN HONGHAI Party Secretary, Makit County Desertification Control Center "That was our most difficult time. We didn't eat well, didn't drink well. We drank water directly from the wells we dug, unaware that the mineral content was too high. We had no such awareness at all. We were just determined to complete this task."

The team used a layered approach to stop the sand. Along the edges, they planted poplars. They require lots of water, but grow fast and tall.

Inside the belt, it's about matching the plant to the land. Low, salty ground gets silverberry – tough enough to thrive here.

On the higher, drier dunes, saxaul – a native desert tree that survives on very little water. Everything is set out in a checkerboard grid, locking the sand in place.

TAO YUAN Makit County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region "The presence of these drought-resistant plants has not only anchored the sand but also transformed the very structure of the soil beneath our feet. Look at this, it's moist, dark, rich in nutrition, and can support the growth of these wild flowers and grass."

In 13 years, Makit has built more than 30,000 hectares of shelterbelt forest along the edge of the desert. It's a small stretch of a large national undertaking.

In nearly half a decade, China has built a green great wall along the edge of the Takalimakan, stretching more than 3,000 kilometers.

The belt is more than an ecological shield. It has opened cross-desert highways, safeguarded farms, and boosted tourism, and is reshaping the face of Xinjiang as the region pushes toward modernization.

MAMATRIXAT HUJI Party Secretary Makit County Dolan Culture & Tourism Investment Company "Now, we have around 2,000 tourists a day. More than 95 percent of them come from China's inland regions. Our employment situation is quite ideal, too."

Tourist "In my imagination, deserts have no grass. But here, there is grass."

Tourist "They seem to be holding some big circular race here. The track looks pretty good. We might even try driving 30 kilometers on it."

And perhaps, the strongest roots here aren't the ones beneath the ground, but those growing in people's hearts.

Rangers's Children "We planted these big trees, and the sandstorms in Makit will become fewer."

"I once went to a high place, and on it was written: 'Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.'"

Hundreds of villagers now live inside the desert forest, working as rangers and building a better life for themselves. They held the line when the desert pushed in. And now, the forest is guarding its guardians.

YIN HONGHAI Party Secretary, Makit County Desertification Control Center "Every time I see these trees. I feel happy, I feel at ease, as if they're constantly speaking to me, 'Take a rest for a while, you're tired, sit here for a bit. Look, we're all doing well.'"

The desert wind still blows. But now, it rustles not only leaves, but also lives. Tao Yuan, CGTN, Makit County in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.