Desertification control miracle: Babusha Forest Farm

Sand is eight steps away.

That was how Babusha, an enormous sand dune on the southern edge of the Tengger Desert, got its name: Babu literally means eight steps in Chinese and sha means sand.

Babusha once suffered frequent sandstorms which buried the farmland and choked up locals' mouths, ears and noses in Gulang county, Northwest China's Gansu Province.

Today Gulang is no longer at the mercy of the sand: This desert town has been transformed through the introduction of more than 70 percent forest cover.

A 10- by 8-kilometer green belt has been established on the fringe of desert to halt the march of the sand.

The war began decades ago with “six old men” who dedicated their lives to defeating the desert.

Through three generations of painstaking efforts, these desert fighters and their descendants have been quite successful in holding back the sand and expanding green coverage.

Babusha forest farm played a critical role in the successful battle against desertification.

See how it was done with People's Daily reporter He Jieqiong.