To explore models for improving desert saline-alkali land, the command center of Shandong province which provides pairing assistance for Xinjiang has invested 30 million yuan ($4.1 million), supporting Xinjiang Wuzheng in managing 1,333 hectares of desert land to plant wheat.

"Sand control and reclamation are significant for ensuring food security, improving the ecological environment, increasing regional economic income, and promoting sustainable agricultural development and technological innovation," said Gu Quanjun, head of the company's wheat base program.

It's not easy to plant wheat in the desert. The Taklamakan Desert is constantly shifting, so the land needs to be quickly planted with vegetation after leveling; otherwise, a sandstorm could revert it to its original state.