Elion turns the Kubuqi Desert into an oasis (2)

Together with the local government, Elion started work on the first desert-crossing highway in 1997, launching a battle between human and sand. A rhyme described the struggle:

You see no meat, but sand in the noodle and half-cooked rice;

You hear nothing but the wind roaring at night in the tent;

You wake in the morning only to find your face full of sand.

After two and a half years, the 65-km-long highway from Xini Town to the foot of Wula Mountain was completed. It was like a blood vessel, bringing nutrients and new prospects to the Kubuqi Desert. [Photo by Yang Jia]