Jinta County in Gansu Province is one of the areas most affected by desertification in China, plagued by drought and water shortage. In the memory of the locals, yellow has long been the dominant color of this place. But in recent years, things have been changing for the better and the yellow is slowly but surely being replaced by vibrant green hues.

In this satellite image from September 2018, Jinta County can be seen surrounded by swathes of sand. But by September 2022, plots of green in the central area of the county have emerged and expanded thanks to afforestation.

Sixty years ago, Jinta Huyang Forest, one of the largest sandy areas in Jinta County, has been covered by tens of thousands of acres of woodland thanks to years of afforestation. 

In recent years, Jinta has adopted different methods to effectively stop the flow of sand dunes. Now, forest coverage rate has reached 4.04 percent, and 35 percent of the mobile sand dunes are under control.

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