Yulin county borders the Mu Us Desert in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Encroaching sands used to be a problem for locals, but farmers there are battling desertification. Niu Yuqin along with her family has turned the area into an oasis. Two generations of her family have completed the afforestation of over 42,000 hectares and stabilized over 66,000 hectares of sand dunes. “Afforestation is my lifelong career. But I cannot finish by myself. It should be passed down from generation to generation,” said Niu.