China turns desert twice the size of Shanghai, haunting with 60m high sand dunes into green oasis

In just over 30 years, the Chinese have greened more than 3,200 square kilometers of this desert .

From Green Oasis on the Yellow River to Dead Land

Kubuqi Desert , in Mongolian, means "bow and arrow on the Yellow River" . The name comes from the shape of this desert, which looks like a bowstring lying across the river. As the seventh largest desert in China, Kubuqi covers an area of ​​up to 13,900km2 ⁽ twice the area of ​​Shanghai). This desert used to be haunted by sand dunes up to 60m high (equivalent to the height of a 20-story building) that moved constantly.

The scariest thing is that 60% of the sand dunes in the Kubuqi Desert are mobile . Just imagine, when these giant sand dunes move, they will crush everything in their path. This is the reason why Chinese history has witnessed many times the scene of "deserts advancing, people retreating".

The Kubuqi Desert covers an area of ​​up to 13,900 square kilometers (twice the size of Shanghai). (Photo: Sohu).

It is hard to believe that 3,000 years ago, this place was a lush green land, until 400 years ago, it became barren land. The cause was sandstorms. Many people mistakenly believe that the sand in sandstorms comes from the desert, but in fact it does not.

Sandstorms that cause "sky blindness" are actually caused by fine yellow dust . Fine dust comes from dry salt lakes and wastelands. These areas are characterized by dry, loose topsoil and fine soil particles, so when there is a strong wind, these fine soil particles will be blown away by the wind.

When a strong wind blows, it sweeps away the fine soil in the sand, leaving only sand and the land turning into a desert. So, a desert is the leftover product of a sandstorm. If it is said that yellow sand can form a sandstorm, then this kind of sandstorm is only harmful to local areas.

The scariest thing is that 60% of the sand dunes in the Kubuqi Desert are mobile. (Photo: Sohu).

So the sandstorms that affect the whole of northern China carry fine dust or soil. Understanding this, we have a clear goal in controlling sandstorms. That is to find and treat the places where strong winds can carry dust. Therefore, the dry salt lakes and the fine soil in the wasteland become the key.

The Battle Against History: Turning the Desert into an Oasis

In the past, direct desert reclamation was difficult due to lack of knowledge and technology. But now, scientists have found a feasible method to start from dried salt lakes and wasteland to make reclamation easier.

For example, Minqin County, located between the Badain Jaran Desert and the Tengger Desert, is home to Qingtu Lake. Historically, the surface area of ​​Qingtu Lake was comparable to that of Qinghai Lake. But over time, by the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the area had shrunk to only 400 square kilometers ^. By the 1940s, the area had further shrunk to 70 square kilometers ^. By the late 1950s, the lake had completely dried up, to the point that its name was erased from the map in the 1970s. It eventually formed a 13-kilometer-long sandbar, which was also the largest sand wind "gateway" in Minqin County.

Later, scientists began to renovate Qingtu Lake , even bringing in water from the Yellow River. Now, relying on Qingtu Lake, a wetland area of ​​106 square kilometers ^has been formed. Not only has the environment been greatly improved, but it has also prevented the merger of two large deserts.

Scientists have transformed Qingtu Lake into a 106 square kilometer wetland. (Photo: Sohu)

The same can be said for the Kubuqi Desert. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Chinese government embarked on a campaign to green the Kubuqi Desert. A 250-kilometer-long canal was built to irrigate the desert from the Yellow River. The journey seemed extremely difficult, but the researchers succeeded.

As of 2022, the height of the Kubuqi dunes has been reduced by half compared to 20 years ago. This is an amazing achievement. The area of ​​the reclaimed desert has reached more than 6,000 km ² , the green area has reached more than 3,200 km ² , that is, 33.3% of the total desert area has been restored. More remarkably, thanks to technological advances, the speed of reclaiming the Kubuqi desert is getting faster and faster.

In terms of forest cover, in 2002, this figure accounted for only 0.8% of the total desert area. However, by 2021, it had increased to 15.7%. If calculated in terms of vegetation cover, this figure is even more impressive, increasing from 16.2% to 53%, exceeding half of the total area. Therefore, although the Kubuqi renovation cannot be compared to completely "erasing" the Mao Usu Desert, it will certainly become the second desert to disappear after the Mao Usu.

The area of ​​the renovated Kubuqi Desert has reached more than 6,000 square kilometers, and the greening area has reached more than 3,200 square kilometers. (Photo: Sohu).

Today, Kubuqi has become an important food production area in Inner Mongolia. With the renovation process, the number of living species here has increased tenfold. For example, swans, hares, poplars. more than 100 species of local extinct animals and plants have reappeared. Moreover, people also take advantage of the special conditions of the desert to grow licorice as medicine. The licorice growing area has reached 2.2 million mu, forming a pollution-free growing area with no pesticide residue.

From barren desert to the "green lungs" of the land

Over an area of ​​more than 1 million hectares of desert, black soil has appeared, holding more than 24 billion cubic meters of water. Plants planted can release more than 18.3 million tons of oxygen. People even created a 60 ^square kilometer wetland in the desert to raise crabs. These achievements have helped reduce the number of days with sandstorms each year from 50-60 days to 3-5 days. Annual rainfall has also increased from less than 70 mm to more than 300 mm. These changes have not only improved the environment of the Ordos Plateau but also brought blue skies to the northern region.

Thanks to the application of technology, the Kubuqi desert is now covered in green. (Photo: Sohu).

According to local people sharing with Sohu news site , in the 1950s and 1960s, the Kubuqi desert had flying sand 300 days a year. It was common for rice bowls to have sand, and sand could even get into the blankets while people were sleeping. People living in the desert had difficulty getting medical treatment when they were sick. To build a house, they had to spend 3 years transporting materials by horse and camel.

Since the late 1980s, the local government has made greater efforts to improve the Kubuqi Desert. By 1996, five roads across the Kubuqi Desert had begun to be built. With a total investment of 1.28 billion yuan and a total length of 340 kilometers, these roads have rapidly changed the appearance of Kubuqi.

In 2006, in order to restore the ecology of the Kubuqi Desert, the local authorities relocated the nomads living in the desert and invested in building villages. Previously, children living in the desert did not go to school until they were over 10 years old. The government invested 110 million yuan to build schools from kindergarten to high school. Currently, the number of students and teachers in these schools has reached more than 1,300.

The renovation of the Kubuqi Desert has achieved many remarkable achievements. (Photo: Sohu).

Since then, the villages have developed more experiential tourism. The economy of the people has changed a lot. For example, a restaurant in Daotu village was said to have an annual income of only 10,000 yuan in 2006, but by 2016, the income had increased to more than 300,000 yuan, more than 30 times.

The renovation of the Kubuqi Desert has achieved remarkable results. In 2007, the International Forum on the Kubuqi Desert was held at Qixing Lake in the desert. In June 2012, the ecological civilization model of the Kubuqi Desert was listed by the United Nations as one of the major achievements of the Rio+20 Summit and promoted worldwide.

In 2013, the United Nations produced an official documentary on the reclamation of the Kubuqi Desert and screened it repeatedly to representatives of more than 190 countries. In 2014, Kubuqi was recognized by the United Nations as the world's first model ecological economic zone.

Currently, the experience of renovating the Kubuqi desert is not only widely applied in China but also spread abroad. (Photo: Sohu).

These recognitions are all the result of years of efforts by the Chinese government to reclaim the desert. Of course, in parallel with the reclaiming of the Kubuqi Desert, it is necessary to develop in accordance with local conditions. For example, the research on solar energy in the Kubuqi Desert has made significant progress. The use of solar energy has become widespread in Kubuqi, and this energy source has been used for heating, providing hot water, regulating the temperature in greenhouses, and even for soil sterilization and pest control. Therefore, the solar energy projects in Kubuqi have developed very diversely.

In short, the Kubuqi Desert reclamation has been very successful. The previously mobile sand dunes have been completely blocked by a 240-kilometer-long sand barrier located in the center of the desert. The Kubuqi Desert reclamation has become a model for desert reclamation and ecological restoration in the world, and has even become a Chinese brand. At present, the experience of Kubuqi Desert reclamation has not only been widely applied in China, but also spread to foreign countries, such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, etc.