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lu Liping， a 55-year-old farmer living in the suburbs of Shihezi， northwest China’s xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region， has been operating his family courtyard for more than 20 years. The family’s annual net income stands at about 100，000 yuan （$16，350）.
“My family’s farming land is only 0.53 hectares， and as well as putting in more time， increasing the output and making the fruits more nutritious are crucial，” said Lu.
In winter when no agricultural work can be done in the harsh open air， farmers are often given agricultural classes.
Today， dates， black peanuts， purple corn and purple potatoes， which are all natural and healthy foods loved by urban residents， have brought Lu a considerable income. Some of his crops are sold not only to Urumqi， capital city of the region， but also to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. In September， he began to operate an agri-tourism venture in his courtyard， including the crop fields， which provides another source of income.
In mid 1990s， Lu’s family’s income was only 50，000 yuan （$8，170） a year and now it is 100，000 （$16，350）. “I hope through our efforts， we can reach 150，000 （$23，800） in the near future.”
Lu’s life is not uncommon in the xinjiang Production and Construction Corps （xPCC）.
In October 1954， a special social organization that integrated the Party， the military， the government and enterprises， was set up in xinjiang to develop frontier regions and consolidate border defense.
In the immediate aftermath of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949， separatists in xinjiang colluded with foreign forces in frequently instigating riots， which seriously shook the stability of the region. Against this background， the newly founded Central Government made a decision to establish the xPCC. In 1954， an army group led by General Wang Zhen （1908-93） was separated from the national defense forces， whose missions were to carry out both production and militia duties， and to develop and secure the border areas.
The decision was inspired by the traditional Chinese tuntian system —stationing garrison troops to cultivate and guard the area. The system was a legacy of China’s several thousand years of history of developing and safeguarding its frontiers.
The xPCC has made strenuous efforts to fulfill the responsibilities the state has entrusted to it. In line with the principle of never competing for benefits with local inhabitants， the corps developed fertile land for the local people and marched into harsh terrains including the region’s deserts. Despite an unforgiving natural environment， the corps has reclaimed ecological oases from the desolate Gobi Desert； initiated xinjiang’s modernization； built largescale agricultural， industrial and mining enterprises； and established new cities and towns. The corps has helped xinjiang build a relatively comprehensive modern industrial system and served as a pioneer for the development of agriculture， business and transportation in the area.
Today， the xPCC is also devoted to developing new types of agriculture such as shelter forests and drip irrigation， while strengthening national solidarity and protecting border areas.
A better life
In the 1950s when the corps reclaimed land and grew food， they had to use primitive tools like spades， hoes and furrows that had to be pulled by men rather than livestock. Over the past six decades， the corps has tried to apply the most advanced technology available in its agricultural and industrial production， as well as in the fight against the spread of deserts.
At the xinjiang yinfeng Modern Agricultural Equipment Company， administered by the Communist League Farm under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Division of the xPCC in Wujiaqu， modern agricultural machines such as tractors， plows， planters and reapers sit in their parking lot.
According to Hu xiaojiang， political commissar of the farm， the comprehensive agricultural mechanization rate in the corps has reached 93 percent， 26 percentage points higher than the country’s average level. Apart from the machines working on land， 32 planes are also employed on the corps’ farms， helping to sow seeds and spray pesticides.
The yinfeng Company provides automation and mechanization services for cotton fields， from sowing to harvesting and packaging. After acquiring a newly developed planter from xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science， the production has increased by 23 percent. With nearly 1，000 cotton harvesters， the total area of machine-harvested cotton fields has exceeded 320，000 hectares. The corps’ cotton fields account for less than 40 percent of xinjiang’s total， but they produce more than 50 percent of the region’s total output. Meanwhile， mechanical harvesting is also used for beets， tomatoes， corn and other crops， greatly improving the efficiency of agricultural production.
A majority of the corps’ regimental farms sit on the rims of deserts and borders， all severely water-deficient areas. Thus， to develop water-saving irrigation is the only option for the corps. xinjiang Tianye Co. Ltd. is a large stateowned company in the Eighth Division of the xPCC in Shihezi. The company began to implement its drip irrigation technology in 1999. Unlike traditional flood irrigation using canals and ditches， drip irrigation takes place under plastic film and involves injecting water gently to the roots of crops through holes. With this technology， about 60 percent of water consumption is saved over conventional irrigation. Drip irrigation also helps to control diseases and pests.
“Before this technology was used， cotton production was 1.02 tons per hectare， and today， thanks to drip irrigation， the production has more than doubled to 2.52 tons per hectare”， said Chen Lin， vice General Manager of the company.
Since 2004， the company has used drip irrigation for rice production， and they eventually received a patent for the technique in 2011. The technology can prevent water being lost through evaporation as well as leakage under the ground. The production of rice fields using drip irrigation can reach 12.45 tons per hectare， almost twice the national average.
According to Chen， when they first imported drip irrigation equipment from Israel， it was very expensive. Today， the company has independently developed a drip irrigation belt for a reasonable price， and together with some other innovative changes. The costs for equipment have been greatly reduced. Entering the information era， farmers in most regiments of the xPCC only need to click on their computers for the drip irrigation system to operate.
The development of large-scale enterprises as well as modern agricultural and industrial programs is undoubtedly contributing hugely to the corps’ rapid economic and social progress. Meanwhile， corps members are also encouraged to run businesses so that they can make more money and live an increasingly better life， with support from the corps.
The corps is composed of more than 30 ethnic groups， accounting for 14 percent of the xPCC’s total population. Around 80 percent of ethnic minority-inhabited regimental farms are located in areas suffering from economic underdevelopment. Helping these farms catch up with others is crucial.
The animal husbandry company of the 104 Regiment of the 12th Division was set up in 2008. Of its 136 households， 75 percent are Kazak. They used to live in the mountains and herd cows， sheep and horses. However， not only did increasing livestock compete with each other for grassland， but the ecology also began to deteriorate， making it difficult for the herdsmen to improve their life. The corps then offered to help move some of them out of the mountains. To ensure that those who leave the mountains can earn a living and will not return， the company helped to open cow farms， where the members can place as many cows as they can afford.
The animal husbandry company now has 728 cows， shared between 32 households， said Sun Tianming， commander of the company. The cows are fed and managed together in accordance with modern agricultural practices. These households can nowadays earn more money than before and live a more comfortable life.
The company is only 18 km away from Urumqi. Given that most of the households are Kazak， the company decided to help members open restaurants centered on Kazak cuisine and culture， attracting a large number of tourists from Urumqi and other cities nearby.
The Nurya family moved out of the mountains five years ago. The wife is a college graduate， who helps operate their family restaurant. The family’s annual net income stands at about 150，000 yuan （$23，800） a year. Talking about life here， the couple said they’ve already gotten used to it very well.“Particularly， we don’t need to worry about how to keep ourselves warm in yurts during winter. We now have a central heating system，” they said.
Environmental protection
The corps regimental farms are mostly located along the rims of deserts and borders， as the first defense against sandstorms to protect xinjiang’s oases.
Over the past 60 years， the xPCC has gradually built two green ecological zones surrounding the Taklimakan Desert and Gurbantunggut Desert， forming a comprehensive
shelterbelt network of trees， shrubs and grasslands， creating an economic network of ecologically friendly oases.
In the 1970s， an American satellite spotted a green peninsula amid the vast Gurbantunggut Desert. The UN then dispatched a 17-member delegation to investigate the locale， only to discover that it was actually a man-made oasis created by the 150th Regiment of xPCC’s Eighth Division.
The Eighth Division of the xPCC in Shihezi sits in an area on the southern rim of the Gurbantunggut Desert， stretching more than 70 km deep into the desert， a region with harsh living conditions. Within 50 years， the regiment has planted 4，500 hectares of forest to prevent desertification. To date， the coverage of the forest in the area that they are in charge of has reached 22 percent or so， with plant coverage at around 42 percent. Generations of the xPCC workers have labored hard for their whole life to realize their green dream.
Ma xiaohua is a 42-year-old ranger. In 1995， he took the job at the request of his father， who came to xinjiang to work as a ranger from the neighboring Gansu Province in the 1960s and remained in the job for the rest of his career.
Ma’s major work is to water the trees of the shelter forests that cover an area of 867 hectares. Every day， he walks for 20 to 30 km from one site to another. A round of tree watering takes about a fortnight and he can only return home when done. Given the meager income of about 2，500 yuan（$396.83） a month， the work is hard.
“When I retired from the army in 1995， I was offered a job in the then best enterprise in the regiment， but my father insisted I be a ranger like him. He did not tell me why he made this choice， but I guess it was because he was worried that no one else would have inherited his job if I did not take it， as the forests he worked were remote and in a terrible natural environment.”
“Without these forest shields， not only Shihezi， but Urumqi would be affected by sandstorms，” said Ma.
Ma is just one of the tens of thousands of rangers who spend their lives fighting against desertification and protecting farmland.
The past decades have seen the xPCC launch one ecological project after another to build strong green shields against deserts and storms， as well as to reclaim land from deserts.
The Mosuowan Station for Desert Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established in Shihezi in 1960. It provides technological services and theoretical support for desertification control and also the development of desert fringes in Shihezi and xinjiang as a whole. Around 30 years ago， the place where the station is situated was a desert. Today， saxaul trees， a kind of plant adaptable to desert and semi-desert environments， inhabit vast areas.
Usually， the saxaul belts run 200 meters in width， immediately following the natural plant belts in the frontier of deserts， which have also been brought under protection. Then shelter forests alongside farmland facing the wind from the deserts are planted.
In the 1980s， this region was hit by more than ten sandstorms every year. With only 80 milliliters of rainfall a year， the temperature there can reach minus 40 degrees centigrade or even above 40 degrees. Thanks to the forestation， sandstorms are now seldom seen. The rainfall has risen to 120-150 milliliters a year， and the lowest temperature has risen 5 degrees with the highest dropping by 5， indicating that extreme weather has diminished.
“My family’s farming land is only 0.53 hectares， and as well as putting in more time， increasing the output and making the fruits more nutritious are crucial，” said Lu.
In winter when no agricultural work can be done in the harsh open air， farmers are often given agricultural classes.
Today， dates， black peanuts， purple corn and purple potatoes， which are all natural and healthy foods loved by urban residents， have brought Lu a considerable income. Some of his crops are sold not only to Urumqi， capital city of the region， but also to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. In September， he began to operate an agri-tourism venture in his courtyard， including the crop fields， which provides another source of income.
In mid 1990s， Lu’s family’s income was only 50，000 yuan （$8，170） a year and now it is 100，000 （$16，350）. “I hope through our efforts， we can reach 150，000 （$23，800） in the near future.”
Lu’s life is not uncommon in the xinjiang Production and Construction Corps （xPCC）.
In October 1954， a special social organization that integrated the Party， the military， the government and enterprises， was set up in xinjiang to develop frontier regions and consolidate border defense.
In the immediate aftermath of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949， separatists in xinjiang colluded with foreign forces in frequently instigating riots， which seriously shook the stability of the region. Against this background， the newly founded Central Government made a decision to establish the xPCC. In 1954， an army group led by General Wang Zhen （1908-93） was separated from the national defense forces， whose missions were to carry out both production and militia duties， and to develop and secure the border areas.
The decision was inspired by the traditional Chinese tuntian system —stationing garrison troops to cultivate and guard the area. The system was a legacy of China’s several thousand years of history of developing and safeguarding its frontiers.
The xPCC has made strenuous efforts to fulfill the responsibilities the state has entrusted to it. In line with the principle of never competing for benefits with local inhabitants， the corps developed fertile land for the local people and marched into harsh terrains including the region’s deserts. Despite an unforgiving natural environment， the corps has reclaimed ecological oases from the desolate Gobi Desert； initiated xinjiang’s modernization； built largescale agricultural， industrial and mining enterprises； and established new cities and towns. The corps has helped xinjiang build a relatively comprehensive modern industrial system and served as a pioneer for the development of agriculture， business and transportation in the area.
Today， the xPCC is also devoted to developing new types of agriculture such as shelter forests and drip irrigation， while strengthening national solidarity and protecting border areas.
A better life
In the 1950s when the corps reclaimed land and grew food， they had to use primitive tools like spades， hoes and furrows that had to be pulled by men rather than livestock. Over the past six decades， the corps has tried to apply the most advanced technology available in its agricultural and industrial production， as well as in the fight against the spread of deserts.
At the xinjiang yinfeng Modern Agricultural Equipment Company， administered by the Communist League Farm under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Division of the xPCC in Wujiaqu， modern agricultural machines such as tractors， plows， planters and reapers sit in their parking lot.
According to Hu xiaojiang， political commissar of the farm， the comprehensive agricultural mechanization rate in the corps has reached 93 percent， 26 percentage points higher than the country’s average level. Apart from the machines working on land， 32 planes are also employed on the corps’ farms， helping to sow seeds and spray pesticides.
The yinfeng Company provides automation and mechanization services for cotton fields， from sowing to harvesting and packaging. After acquiring a newly developed planter from xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science， the production has increased by 23 percent. With nearly 1，000 cotton harvesters， the total area of machine-harvested cotton fields has exceeded 320，000 hectares. The corps’ cotton fields account for less than 40 percent of xinjiang’s total， but they produce more than 50 percent of the region’s total output. Meanwhile， mechanical harvesting is also used for beets， tomatoes， corn and other crops， greatly improving the efficiency of agricultural production.
A majority of the corps’ regimental farms sit on the rims of deserts and borders， all severely water-deficient areas. Thus， to develop water-saving irrigation is the only option for the corps. xinjiang Tianye Co. Ltd. is a large stateowned company in the Eighth Division of the xPCC in Shihezi. The company began to implement its drip irrigation technology in 1999. Unlike traditional flood irrigation using canals and ditches， drip irrigation takes place under plastic film and involves injecting water gently to the roots of crops through holes. With this technology， about 60 percent of water consumption is saved over conventional irrigation. Drip irrigation also helps to control diseases and pests.
“Before this technology was used， cotton production was 1.02 tons per hectare， and today， thanks to drip irrigation， the production has more than doubled to 2.52 tons per hectare”， said Chen Lin， vice General Manager of the company.
Since 2004， the company has used drip irrigation for rice production， and they eventually received a patent for the technique in 2011. The technology can prevent water being lost through evaporation as well as leakage under the ground. The production of rice fields using drip irrigation can reach 12.45 tons per hectare， almost twice the national average.
According to Chen， when they first imported drip irrigation equipment from Israel， it was very expensive. Today， the company has independently developed a drip irrigation belt for a reasonable price， and together with some other innovative changes. The costs for equipment have been greatly reduced. Entering the information era， farmers in most regiments of the xPCC only need to click on their computers for the drip irrigation system to operate.
The development of large-scale enterprises as well as modern agricultural and industrial programs is undoubtedly contributing hugely to the corps’ rapid economic and social progress. Meanwhile， corps members are also encouraged to run businesses so that they can make more money and live an increasingly better life， with support from the corps.
The corps is composed of more than 30 ethnic groups， accounting for 14 percent of the xPCC’s total population. Around 80 percent of ethnic minority-inhabited regimental farms are located in areas suffering from economic underdevelopment. Helping these farms catch up with others is crucial.
The animal husbandry company of the 104 Regiment of the 12th Division was set up in 2008. Of its 136 households， 75 percent are Kazak. They used to live in the mountains and herd cows， sheep and horses. However， not only did increasing livestock compete with each other for grassland， but the ecology also began to deteriorate， making it difficult for the herdsmen to improve their life. The corps then offered to help move some of them out of the mountains. To ensure that those who leave the mountains can earn a living and will not return， the company helped to open cow farms， where the members can place as many cows as they can afford.
The animal husbandry company now has 728 cows， shared between 32 households， said Sun Tianming， commander of the company. The cows are fed and managed together in accordance with modern agricultural practices. These households can nowadays earn more money than before and live a more comfortable life.
The company is only 18 km away from Urumqi. Given that most of the households are Kazak， the company decided to help members open restaurants centered on Kazak cuisine and culture， attracting a large number of tourists from Urumqi and other cities nearby.
The Nurya family moved out of the mountains five years ago. The wife is a college graduate， who helps operate their family restaurant. The family’s annual net income stands at about 150，000 yuan （$23，800） a year. Talking about life here， the couple said they’ve already gotten used to it very well.“Particularly， we don’t need to worry about how to keep ourselves warm in yurts during winter. We now have a central heating system，” they said.
Environmental protection
The corps regimental farms are mostly located along the rims of deserts and borders， as the first defense against sandstorms to protect xinjiang’s oases.
Over the past 60 years， the xPCC has gradually built two green ecological zones surrounding the Taklimakan Desert and Gurbantunggut Desert， forming a comprehensive
shelterbelt network of trees， shrubs and grasslands， creating an economic network of ecologically friendly oases.
In the 1970s， an American satellite spotted a green peninsula amid the vast Gurbantunggut Desert. The UN then dispatched a 17-member delegation to investigate the locale， only to discover that it was actually a man-made oasis created by the 150th Regiment of xPCC’s Eighth Division.
The Eighth Division of the xPCC in Shihezi sits in an area on the southern rim of the Gurbantunggut Desert， stretching more than 70 km deep into the desert， a region with harsh living conditions. Within 50 years， the regiment has planted 4，500 hectares of forest to prevent desertification. To date， the coverage of the forest in the area that they are in charge of has reached 22 percent or so， with plant coverage at around 42 percent. Generations of the xPCC workers have labored hard for their whole life to realize their green dream.
Ma xiaohua is a 42-year-old ranger. In 1995， he took the job at the request of his father， who came to xinjiang to work as a ranger from the neighboring Gansu Province in the 1960s and remained in the job for the rest of his career.
Ma’s major work is to water the trees of the shelter forests that cover an area of 867 hectares. Every day， he walks for 20 to 30 km from one site to another. A round of tree watering takes about a fortnight and he can only return home when done. Given the meager income of about 2，500 yuan（$396.83） a month， the work is hard.
“When I retired from the army in 1995， I was offered a job in the then best enterprise in the regiment， but my father insisted I be a ranger like him. He did not tell me why he made this choice， but I guess it was because he was worried that no one else would have inherited his job if I did not take it， as the forests he worked were remote and in a terrible natural environment.”
“Without these forest shields， not only Shihezi， but Urumqi would be affected by sandstorms，” said Ma.
Ma is just one of the tens of thousands of rangers who spend their lives fighting against desertification and protecting farmland.
The past decades have seen the xPCC launch one ecological project after another to build strong green shields against deserts and storms， as well as to reclaim land from deserts.
The Mosuowan Station for Desert Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established in Shihezi in 1960. It provides technological services and theoretical support for desertification control and also the development of desert fringes in Shihezi and xinjiang as a whole. Around 30 years ago， the place where the station is situated was a desert. Today， saxaul trees， a kind of plant adaptable to desert and semi-desert environments， inhabit vast areas.
Usually， the saxaul belts run 200 meters in width， immediately following the natural plant belts in the frontier of deserts， which have also been brought under protection. Then shelter forests alongside farmland facing the wind from the deserts are planted.
In the 1980s， this region was hit by more than ten sandstorms every year. With only 80 milliliters of rainfall a year， the temperature there can reach minus 40 degrees centigrade or even above 40 degrees. Thanks to the forestation， sandstorms are now seldom seen. The rainfall has risen to 120-150 milliliters a year， and the lowest temperature has risen 5 degrees with the highest dropping by 5， indicating that extreme weather has diminished.