A Village's Transformation in Inner Mongolia's Juungar Banner

From Desolation to Lush Orchards

Hua Shengming's memories of his childhood home, Deshengyouliang village in Inner Mongolia's Juungar Banner, paint a stark picture of a harsh and unforgiving landscape. The relentless wind and rain eroded the land, leaving behind a barren wasteland of yellow sand and red mud. Greenery was scarce, and the thin topsoil offered little hope for sustenance.

"No matter what we planted, we could hardly harvest anything," Hua recalls, his voice tinged with the memory of hardship. His family struggled to make ends meet, barely scraping together 10,000 yuan a year around the turn of the millennium.

Today, however, the village presents a vastly different scene. Lush apple orchards stretch across the once-desolate landscape, a testament to the transformative power of human intervention. Hua's 9-hectare orchard now yields an annual income of over 1 million yuan, a stark contrast to the meager earnings of the past.

This remarkable turnaround is the result of a comprehensive set of initiatives implemented by the local authorities. These measures focused on treating the Pisha sandstone, a unique soft rock formation prone to erosion, to mitigate water loss and soil erosion. Additionally, industrial development was integrated into the remediation efforts, creating a sustainable and prosperous future for the village.

The Pisha sandstone, found in the semiarid regions along the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River and the Loess Plateau, is notorious for its susceptibility to wind and rainfall erosion. This area has been dubbed "the most extreme case of water loss and soil erosion globally," earning the ominous moniker of "earth cancer" from local residents and experts alike.

The transformation of Deshengyouliang village serves as a beacon of hope, demonstrating the potential for human ingenuity and determination to overcome even the most challenging environmental obstacles. From a desolate wasteland to a thriving orchard, the village's journey embodies the spirit of resilience and the unwavering pursuit of a better future.