This spring, Turhonjan Matsadi planted 500 mu (about 33 hectares) of red willow and saxaul trees along the Taklimakan Desert's edge. His family lives in Tuopa'airike Village, Qira Township, Hotan Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang, just 15 kilometers from the world's second-largest desert. His eldest daughter, now married, works in Urumqi; his middle child graduated from university and teaches at a school in Moyu County; and his youngest is still in elementary school.
For the past 30 years, the 54-year-old has worked to tame the desert, cultivating medicinal Cistanche deserticola at the roots of red willow. Since 2023, he's been planting red willows and saxaul trees in the desert wasteland, digging wells and using drip irrigation. A 90 percent plant survival rate has been achieved. These hardy plants serve a dual purpose: stabilizing shifting sands while generating substantial income.
Local proverbs like "Where trees grow, disasters retreat" and "For every tree you break, plant ten" reflect the community's sandstorm-forged wisdom about reforestation. For Turhonjan, these words embody his thirty-year mission to green the desert's advancing edge.
Executive Producer: Xiao Chunfei
Supervisors: Mao Mingdong, Ding Tao, Xue Jing and Jie Wenjin
Coordinator: Wang Qiming
Producer Director: Wang Qiming
Camera: Jambulat Manarbek
Post-productions/Translators: Mahmutjan Wupur and Xu Chanyuan
Translator: Zhang Shijie
Reviewers: Cheng Li and Wang Xiabing
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