On a sand dune with drought-resistant plants swaying in the wind, 58-year-old Huang Maotao and her husband crouch down and carefully check on the growth of their newly planted red willows, which stand as a part of the greenbelt along the 522-kilometer Tarim Desert Highway in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The couple's daily tasks include inspecting irrigation pipelines, applying fertilizers and pesticides, and cleaning the area. In early spring, they plant new vegetation. This marks the third year the couple have worked as guardians for the fourth water station along China's first zero-carbon desert highway, which they have treated as their second home.

From March to October each year, the couple lives on-site to tend the water station and take care of the surrounding desert greenbelt. For the rest of the year, they go back to their hometown in Sichuan province, where Huang used to run a clothing business for three decades. After being diagnosed with glaucoma in recent years, Huang decided to quit that career and go around.