In the 1950s, to protect China's first railway that runs through a desert, the city of Zhongwei embarked on a journey of desert mitigation. Scientists at the Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station, part of the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with local residents, developed straw checkerboards to stabilize the sand and prevent dunes from shifting.

Tang Ximing, a senior engineer at a state-owned forestry farm in Zhongwei, crafted a steel tool that differs from regular shovels by featuring two horizontal bars at the front tip. This innovative tool enables the planting of seedling roots 50 centimeters deep into the moist sand layer. This simple tool increases the survival rate of afforestation by 25 percent to over 85 percent. It has been widely promoted and used in afforestation projects across other regions in northern China.

In 2019, an enhanced version of straw checkerboards that can be mass-produced using machinery was developed, extending the service life of these sand barriers.

Through persistent efforts spanning several decades, Zhongwei has reclaimed 1.5 million mu (about 100,000 hectares) out of its total 1.68 million mu of desert through afforestation. This endeavor has expanded its vegetation coverage from less than 1 percent to 42 percent at present, effectively pushing back the Tengger Desert by 25 kilometers. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua)