Lifetime of desert work transforms hatred to love

For 34 years, Tang Ximing, a senior engineer of the State-owned forest farm in Zhongwei, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, has developed various new technologies and models that are widely applied to desert control under the Three-North Shelterbelt Program.

The program, aimed at combating desertification, was initiated in 1978 and involves 13 provinces in Northwest, North, and Northeast China.

Zhongwei, situated at the junction of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Gansu province and the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, lies on the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert, the fourth-largest desert in China. Its geographic location plays an important role in preventing desertification and managing desert.

"Tang Ximing is a representative of achieving scientific control and optimal use of desertified land," said Liu Bing, director of the bureau of the Three-North Shelterbelt Program under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

"We need thousands of individuals like Tang to fight for the Three-North program and create new miracles in China's efforts to prevent desertification and manage desertified land in the new era."

The desert left a deep psychological scar on Tang in his childhood, as he witnessed one of his friends die in a sandstorm at the age of 7. He longed to escape from the desertified area, but fate kept him bound to the land. He enrolled in the forestry program at the Northwest Forestry College, which then became part of the Northwest A&F University in Yangling, Shaanxi province. In 1991, he was assigned to the former Zhongwei county forestry institute, and desert control became his lifelong work.

Over time, Tang's attitude toward the desert shifted from hatred to love. He resolved to transform his hometown for the benefit of future generations.

"Tang spends an average of 10 hours in the desert with 20,000 steps each day and he has measured every section of the desert control project with his own feet," said Wang Weidong, who is working with Tang Ximing at the forest farm of Zhongwei.

Through years of hard work, Tang has reaped many achievements in desert control. He invented an iron pestle capable of planting saplings up to 50 centimeters underground, allowing the roots to reach the wet sand layer. This tool enables tree planting in just a few seconds without the need for additional watering.

In 2017, this innovative planting tool was awarded a patent for a utility model. With its low cost, convenience, and effectiveness, the pestle has become a standard tool for desert control and tree planting in Northwest China. Tang later enhanced the pestle by adding an engine, increasing its efficiency multiple times.

Tang's dedication to desert control is also demonstrated in his pursuit of quality. Projects led by Tang have all been completed to high standards.

In Tang's office, a letter from the World Bank is carefully preserved, stating that "the overall outcome of the Ningxia Desertification Control and Ecological Protection Project is satisfactory," providing valuable experience for future desertification control projects of the World Bank in other countries and regions.

Thanks to Tang's efforts, 90 percent of desertified land has been transformed into green land on the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert, with plant coverage in the treated area increasing from less than 1 percent to 42 percent.

Over the years, Tang has trained and led a team of 300 farmers focusing on desert control and afforestation, with their per capita income exceeding 100,000 yuan ($13,863) last year.

"We should manage the desert while making better use of it, ensuring that people can lead fulfilling lives. These are our responsibilities," Tang said. He believes that realizing harmony between humans and the desert and making the desert useful remain the ultimate goals of desert control.

In the project area of the renewable energy industry located in the Tengger Desert, the installation of photovoltaic panels once faced challenges in securing them to the sandy ground. Tang used sand-based plants to stabilize the sand and elevated the solar panel 2 meters above the ground. Now, the foundations of the solar panels are anchored securely, with lush greenery flourishing beneath them.