[Poverty Alleviation Through a Lens] Miracle makers in the desert

Work can make miracles. It makes our life better.

In the Kubuqi Desert, the seventh largest in China, workers are making miracles with their hands: They are transforming a desert into an oasis.

The Kubuqi Desert was once a barren land, known by many as the “sea of death.” Farmers and herdsmen living within its confines have long suffered from its bitter offerings. But perhaps the difficult environment is precisely what has infused the blood of the Kubuqi people with tenacity and perseverance. With the courage to look into the sands and seek green, and through 30 years of hard work, they have figured out a way to promote desertification control, industrial development and poverty alleviation simultaneously. They have made a win-win out of desertification and poverty alleviation.

The end of April is spring ploughing time in the Kubuqi Desert, as farmers and herdsmen plant various psammophyte species. Yang Haikuan, 45, plants trees using a special technique. [Photo by Yu Xiangjun]