In Zhongwei city, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, Tang Ximing tested a tractor that can make straw grids on the sand dunes of Tengger — the fourth-largest desert in China. The grids, commonly made with straw or sand willow branches, can halt the movement of shifting dunes. People can then sow grass seeds and plant shrubs on them. After the plants start to grow, the desert will then become an oasis, Tang said.

"Making such grids is still the most practical way to stabilize sand. And they still have to be laid manually, which can be slow. Also, the labor cost has been increasing, so I've decided to invent a machine that can replace manual labor. The use of automated machinery in desertification control such as making straw grids and planting trees is an unstoppable trend," he said.

Born in Zhongwei, Tang suffered from sandstorms so strong, that they "sometimes blew people into the canal" and covered rice bowls with a heavy dusting of sand. He studied forestry at college and returned to his hometown after graduation in 1991, starting a career in desertification control at a local forest farm.

"I left Zhongwei to study elsewhere because I was tired of a life plagued by the desert, and I returned and have stayed also because of it," Tang said. "I hope to see more young people joining us in desertification control, because continuous efforts must be put in by one generation after another."

In Zhangwu county, Liaoning province, Liu Ying shared the stories of the county's battle against desertification control since the 1950s with a group of visitors.

More than 20-meter-high Mongolian Scots pine trees can now be seen everywhere in Zhangwu on the southeastern edge of the Horqin Sandy Land. It's hard to imagine that 70 years ago, 96 percent of the land in the county was covered with sand, she said.

Liu Bin, Liu Ying's great-grandfather, moved to the county and became the director of China's first sand control research institute in 1952. He led researchers in an extremely difficult environment for over 30 years, creating a miracle of desertification control that attracted worldwide attention, and included the successful introduction of drought-resistant Mongolian Scots pine and a scientific sand control plan combining trees and shrubs.

"By sharing the stories of my great-grandfather, I hope that the spirit of fighting desertification can be passed down to the younger generations and inspire them," she said.

In Minqin, Gansu province, Ma Junhe often livestreams the process of planting saxaul on social media, showing people the front line of China's battle against desertification. He invited a group of his followers, many of whom are young people from big cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou in Guangdong province, to the county to plant saxaul themselves in May.

"I greatly underestimated young people's passion about playing a part in desertification control projects. They really care about the ecological environment and understand the importance of the Three-North program. I think we can count on them," he said.

Contact the writers at cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn