Shade to shore: generations forging Babusha’s oasis

At Babusha’s wind-scoured frontier, an outdated tree stands with roots bared by many years of storms, serving a dwelling monument to China’s desert-taming saga. Within the Seventies, as shifting sands buried greater than 20,000 mu of farmland close to the Qilian Mountains, Guo Wangang’s father (later succeeded by Guo as head of Babusha Forest Farm) led pioneers braving the dunes with donkey carts laden with saplings and shovels. Their mission are conquering the desert to outlive.

The elm they planted in 1978 now towers as a windbreak symbolizing perseverance. By way of three generations’ resolve, 75,000 mu of desert have remodeled into oasis—sheltering villages and reviving ecosystems. Right now, diverted Yellow River water nourishes the once-barren land. The place golden sands as soon as roared, now blooms a sea of flowers. (by Xue Lingqiao)