Storyline: Man-made green belt transforms Taklimakan desert, enables plant cultivation [Voice_over] It's one of China's great environmental success stories: a belt of greenery planted around one of the world's largest drifting deserts, the Taklimakan, to prevent it from spreading further. More than 40 years in the making, the afforestation project was officially completed last year when the final trees were planted along the desert's 3,046-kilometer circumference. Today, in places like Moyu County along the fringes of the belt, thousands of hectares of date trees have been planted. A local agriculture expert says as long as the tree's roots are growing, they can fruit. Plus, the region has a secret weapon. [Sound_bite] Li Tengfei, head, ecological agriculture company: "As the ecological conditions keep improving, a unique microclimate has developed in our orchard, leading to increased rainfall." [Voice_over] Besides dates, local farmers have also started cultivating grapes, pomegranates and figs. One farmer has also planted corn - a sturdy and tall crop - to protect his delicate grape seedlings. [Sound_bite] Abdurehim Abduhelili, farmer: "I used to be terrified of sand, but now I'm not because it feels like ordinary soil. Our plants have sprouted and are growing well." [Voice_over] The green belt surrounding the Taklimakan Desert is part of an even larger afforestation project – known as the Great Green Wall - which aims to cover 13 provincial regions with greenery by the year 2050. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]