STORY: Green miracle in China's largest desert
DATELINE: Sept. 25, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:47
LOCATION: URUMQI, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Kekeya
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): XIE FUPING, Former Party chief of Aksu Prefecture, China's Xinjiang
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): IMAM MEMET, Former head of Kekeya forestry station
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): IMAM MEMET, Former head of Kekeya forestry station
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): SONG JIANJIANG, Staff of Kekeya forestry station

STORYLINE:

Covering a staggering expanse of 337,000 square kilometers, an area slightly smaller than Germany, Taklimakan is China's largest desert and infamously known as the "Sea of Death."

Kekeya is nestled at the northern edge of Taklimakan Desert. Due to its adverse geological location, Kekeya was once notorious for its tumultuous weather and ceaseless sandstorms.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): XIE FUPING, Former Party chief of Aksu Prefecture, China's Xinjiang
"(Before the 1980s,) once strong winds blew, the entire city of Aksu turned yellow, and the sky suddenly turned dark. While I was working in Aksu, I thought that if we could plant trees around the city, people's lives would be easier."

In 1986, a team of over 250 people completed the task of constructing a 16.8-kilometer anti-seepage ditch in Kekeya in a mere four months to ensure a steady water supply for irrigation.

Trees were then planted and carefully protected.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): IMAM MEMET, Former head of Kekeya forestry station
"These trees were planted by the people of all ethnic groups in Aksu (Prefecture). I was in charge of taking care of them."

Thanks to the unceasing efforts of volunteers and forest rangers, about 80,000 hectares of forests were planted from 1986 to 2020 as part of the project.

The dusty days in Aksu City, the major city next to Kekeya, decreased sharply from about 100 days in 1980 to some 30 days in 2022.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): IMAM MEMET, Former head of Kekeya forestry station
"A green 'Great Wall' has gradually formed and thrived."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): SONG JIANJIANG, Staff of Kekeya forestry station
"I like summer and autumn the most. Seeing the shade of trees in summer, I feel that it's worth the hardships and sufferings we endured in tree planting. Seeing rich fruits in autumn, I'm really comfortable, gratified and proud."

Nowadays, over 86 percent of the trees in Kekeya's afforestation project yield economic benefits.

In Aksu Prefecture, the total area devoted to fruit crops reached 300,000 hectares in 2022. The farmers' average income from fruit surpassed 5,500 yuan (about 767 U.S. dollars) in 2022, constituting 26.25 percent of their annual earnings.

The sweet and juicy Aksu apple has now become a signature agricultural product of Xinjiang.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Urumqi, China.
(XHTV)