At the heart of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a remarkable transformation is underway. A line of tall sand barriers separates the rolling dunes of the Taklimakan Desert from thriving farmland, where rows of purple-pink roses bloom alongside seedlings of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs.

This early-summer scene unfolds at the Wanhuayuan sand-control demonstration zone in Yutian county, Hotan prefecture.

In November 2024, China completed a 3,046-kilometer sand-blocking green belt encircling the Taklimakan, the country's largest desert. As the world's longest desert-surrounding ecological barrier, the project curbs desert expansion through measures such as afforestation, grassland restoration, engineering-based sand fixation and photovoltaic sand control.

The 2,767-hectare Wanhuayuan zone, located south of the desert, marks the site where the final stretches of the belt were planted with drought-resistant saplings. Wei Zicheng, Party secretary of Aoyituogelake township, where the zone is located, said rose bushes were planted across 206.7 hectares on both sides of an asphalt road and contracted to 172 farming households.

In just one and a half years, the bushes have grown to about 70 centimeters tall, with luxuriant leaves and vibrant blossoms swaying in the wind. These drought-resistant rose varieties have extensive root systems that help stabilize sand and retain soil moisture. Local residents say sandstorms have become noticeably milder.

Wei said that while the roses bloomed only sporadically last year, they are flowering in large patches this year and beginning to generate returns. Rose buds can be processed into flower tea and essential oils, petals can be made into rose jam, and pruned branches and leaves can be crushed and returned to the soil as organic fertilizer.

Yutian's dry climate, long sunshine hours and large day-night temperature differences are well suited to rose cultivation. According to Alimjan Mamatrozi, director of the county's forestry and grassland administration, Yutian had planted more than 5,333 hectares of roses by 2025, producing 11,400 metric tons of fresh flowers with an output value of 236 million yuan ($32.9 million) and benefiting 5,441 households through increased income.

The county has a long history of cultivating roses in desert areas, turning the crop into a pillar industry supported by a complete value chain from field to factory. Deep-processing enterprises have further expanded the industry's value. Last year, locally produced rose essential oils entered the high-end French market.

At Wanhuayuan, within a 100-meter-wide green buffer zone — extending 50 meters on each side of the asphalt road — roses are planted with three meters between rows and one meter between plants. Alijan Obul, chairman of the township people's congress, said the survival rate of the roses exceeds 90 percent.

Recently, residents replanted roses in areas where some of the original plants failed to survive. Newly planted seedlings are protected by small reed barriers that shield them from the hot, dry winds that prevail from June to August. Once the plants have been established for about a year and their stems have become woody, they can survive independently.

Four rows of blackberry lily are interplanted between every two rows of roses. The perennial herb, harvested for its underground rhizomes, is valued in traditional Chinese medicine for clearing heat, detoxifying the body and relieving sore throats.

Yasen Baudun's family is among the 172 households contracted to grow roses and blackberry lily. They manage 1.3 hectares and expect their income to double once the crops reach peak production. Previously, they cultivated 0.67 hectares of intercropped walnuts and wheat, earning about 30,000 yuan annually.

He said the local government provides basic infrastructure, including water, electricity and paved roads, as well as subsidies for planting and maintaining roses and medicinal herbs. Farmers prepare the land, install drip irrigation systems, plant seedlings and manage the plots themselves. Saplings are supplied free of charge by the government, while farmers retain all profits.

Baudun's wife sells fruit while caring for their children, and he handles most of the fieldwork. Machinery offers limited assistance for daily operations, but villagers regularly exchange knowledge and cultivation techniques.

"If there is more land available, I would like to take on more," he said. "At 36, I'm still young. Two hectares is not too much — I can do more."

While smallholders benefit directly from the project, larger enterprises are also expanding the model. Xinjiang Silk Road Fruit Treasure Agricultural Development Co, for example, has contracted 1,133 hectares of sandy land at Wanhuayuan, of which about 813 hectares have been planted with pistachio trees. Around 453 hectares of those orchards are intercropped with roses.

Since 2024, intercropping models that combine trees with shrubs or shrubs with medicinal herbs have been promoted across Yutian county, improving sand control while increasing economic returns. It is common to find cistanche growing on the roots of tamarisk and saxaul trees, while some tamarisk plantations are intercropped with Chinese skullcap. Both cistanche and Chinese skullcap are medicinal herbs.

These examples reflect Xinjiang's intensified efforts in recent years to transform sandy wasteland into productive farmland. According to the regional forestry and grassland administration, Xinjiang has planted about 722,000 hectares of desert cash crops, generating a total output value of 29 billion yuan and creating 300,000 stable jobs for nearby residents. On average, workers have increased their annual income by about 3,000 yuan.

Over the past two months, 148 hectares of tamarisk at Wanhuayuan were interplanted with mugwort. Moxa products derived from mugwort are popular in the traditional Chinese medicine market, while moxibustion continues to enjoy widespread acceptance, indicating strong market potential.

Alimjan Mamatrozi said mugwort is both drought- and cold-resistant, making it well suited to the zone's loose, well-drained sandy soil. Once planted, it can grow steadily for eight to 10 years and be harvested two to three times a year. Its extensive root system helps stabilize sand and soil while contributing to ecological restoration.

He said annual fresh mugwort yields are estimated at 22.5 to 30 metric tons per hectare, generating revenue of 22,500 to 30,000 yuan per hectare. Part of the investment can be recovered in the first year, with stable profitability expected from the second year onward.

At the center of the 22,000-hectare Tiandong comprehensive desert-control demonstration zone, about 40 kilometers from Wanhuayuan, 2,000 hectares of straw grids have been laid to reduce wind erosion, stabilize sand and protect approximately 333 hectares of desert roses planted in May along both sides of the zone's main road. The roses are intercropped with blackberry lily, Chinese skullcap and liquorice.

Xu Guoying, general manager of Xinjiang Tianyuan Agricultural Technology Co, said the large-scale planting project at Tiandong followed a year of trials conducted on 66.7 hectares at Wanhuayuan. In late 2024, his company invested 3.5 million yuan to contract the trial site and began testing a variety of medicinal herbs in March 2025 to identify species suitable for local cultivation.

The trials showed that sandy land must be thoroughly irrigated and plowed before planting; otherwise, yields decline sharply. Machinery played an important role in large-scale planting. Workers rode on tractor-drawn seeders, placing seedlings as the equipment moved across the fields.

During the planting season, about 80 workers were employed on-site each day to plow land, plant crops, apply fertilizer and operate and maintain irrigation systems, earning additional income in the process.

For tall sand dunes, an innovative local approach was adopted. The dunes were reshaped into terraces with slopes of about 30 degrees and heights of three to five meters, reinforced with straw grids. The method reduces costs, shortens land-preparation time and doubles sand-control efficiency.

Water tanks installed on top of the dunes allow gravity-fed irrigation, reducing electricity consumption and improving water-use efficiency while helping ensure plant survival.

Xu estimates that it will take three years to recover the investment. He said that when the trials began, about a dozen local enterprises and cooperatives were already cultivating medicinal herbs, but similar operations have since expanded rapidly.

To remain competitive, his company introduced 16 additional medicinal herb varieties that are uncommon in the area to Wanhuayuan this year for further trials, while also exploring primary processing to increase added value. He said the new varieties are performing well and showing promising prospects.

Both the Wanhuayuan and Tiandong zones are part of the ongoing sixth phase of the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, a major ecological afforestation project spanning northwestern, northern and northeastern China.

Launched in 1978, the program increased vegetation coverage in these regions from 5.05 percent in 1977 to 13.84 percent by the end of its fifth phase in 2023, while bringing 61 percent of soil erosion areas under control.

According to the Xinjiang regional forestry and grassland administration, Xinjiang has completed 4.04 million hectares of tasks under the program since 2021. Compared with 2022, the region's desertified land area has decreased by 5,300 square kilometers and its sandified land area has shrunk by 1,500 sq km. Natural oases have expanded by 600 sq km, while artificial oases have grown by 44,900 sq km.