Loyal son of the soil

Former soldier defies age to continue serving the people by combating desertification, Xing Wen and Mao Weihua report.

A summer breeze gently blows through the woods, ruffling the tree branches along the banks of the Kongque River in Korla, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

This is how the favorite season for Wang Chengbang, 85, announces itself. Those green, lush trees that serve as a shelter to check sandstorms which used to hit the area, prevent soil erosion, purify the air and shade passersby from the hot sun, are glowing with vitality.

Korla, the capital of the Bayingolin Mongol autonomous prefecture, sits just 70 kilometers away from the Taklimakan Desert. It is an arid place once surrounded by deserts, the Gobi Desert and barren mountains. However, an incredible gardening and afforestation drive has been made to control desertification in and around Korla over the past few decades, and now it is among the country's model cities in environmental protection.