Desertification control in Inner Mongolia: 7,300 hectares of green in 8 years
5 million Hedysarum scoparium plants, 7,300 hectares of greenery, local incomes rose 5‑6 times. In a desert with less than 150 mm of annual rainfall, one man transformed the landscape.
As reported by CCTV+, deep in the Tengger Desert in Inner Mongolia, over the past eight years the hardy shrub Hedysarum scoparium has gradually turned yellow sand into patches of green. The key figure in local desertification control efforts is a herder‑turned‑shrub gardener, Lei Xingguang.
Hedysarum scoparium, known in Chinese as "Huabang", is a fast‑growing, drought‑tolerant shrub widely used to combat desertification. Its Mongolian name means "seventy layers of bark", because its bark peels off layer by layer under UV rays. In the Tengger Desert, one of China's largest deserts covering 43,000 square kilometres with less than 150 millimetres of annual rainfall, most plants struggle to survive. But Huabang thrives here thanks to Lei Xingguang, who since 2018 has devoted his life to turning sandy wasteland into a garden.
Years of effort took him from planting the first sapling to cultivating the plant over 7,300 hectares, from working alone to leading a cooperative that many other locals have joined. "I was born right here, in the heart of the Tengger Desert. In those days, sandstorms would block out the sky, making it hard to open your eyes. Turning the Tengger Desert into an oasis was my childhood dream," he told China Media Group (CMG). According to Lei, even if buried by sand, Huabang can sprout new shoots, and its roots can stretch more than 10 metres sideways, forming an underground network that anchors shifting sand.
Through years of battling sandstorms, Lei gradually refined his planting techniques. Since 2023, he has used hydro‑drilling planting, and has never had to replant since. In 2018, Lei set up a cooperative with five herder families, two of which were extremely poor. Today their incomes are five to six times higher. One family earned over 100,000 yuan (more than $14,600) last year just from selling Huabang seeds. Over eight years, Lei and fellow cooperative members have grown more than 5 million plants across over 7,300 hectares. On the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert, over 220,000 hectares of drought‑resistant vegetation have now been planted, effectively curbing desert expansion.
Huabang (Hedysarum scoparium) is a shrub with a unique ability to survive extreme desert conditions. Its root system can penetrate deep and spread widely, binding sand. The Tengger Desert is one of China's largest, in Inner Mongolia. Combating desertification is a key environmental priority for China. Lei Xingguang and his cooperative show how local initiatives can yield global results.
One man, one dream, one shrub — and the desert retreats. Lei Xingguang did not just plant trees; he planted hope. Where wind once drove sand, leaves now grow. Where poverty once reigned, income now flows. His story is not just a victory over the desert — it is a victory over despair. Every root of Huabang, every new plant, is a step towards turning yellow on the map into green. As long as such people exist, the desert will never be endless.
