Autumn has painted stretches of desert poplars in a golden color in the Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Bayingolin in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China, October 18, 2019. /VCG Photo

These desert poplars, belonging to the Populus genus, are called "living fossils"as they are able to“live for a thousand years, then stand for a thousand years after death, then stay imperishable for another thousand years.” /VCG Photo

Wriggling along the rim of the Taklimakan desert, the 2,179-km-long Tarim River is home the country's biggest forests of desert poplar trees, covering an area of more than 200,000 hectares. /VCG Photo

Tourists are often attracted by the striking golden hue of the tree leaves in late autumn. /VCG Photo