The Horqin Sandy Land, located mostly in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is the second-largest sandy land in China, covering an area of 43,000 square kilometers. In a windy stretch on its outskirts, Wangpingfang village in Kangping, Liaoning province, was once scarred by a desolate expanse of shifting sand dunes. The area, however, has today become a verdant green landscape with pine trees that stretch for almost 700 hectares.

The transformation demonstrates the perseverance of the village's 600 residents over six decades, including Li Hai, a retired soldier and farmer.

Li, 75, recalled how his home was once beset by sand dunes, and how the arid climate and fierce winds meant that farming was extremely problematic.

The situation was sometimes so bad that "seeds sown in the spring didn't even get a chance to sprout before being blown away by strong winds", he said. Quite often, people would wake up in the morning only to find that their beds, blankets and floors were all covered by a layer of sand and dust. A local saying goes: "Only a single gust of wind blows through the village every year, and it lasts from spring to winter."

When the government initiated an afforestation program in 2011, Li, aside from participating in tree planting, took a role as a ranger.

"I wanted to improve the ecological conditions in my hometown and leave a better environment for future generations," he said.

Planting the resilient pine trees was relatively straightforward, but ensuring their survival in the extreme conditions proved to be a formidable challenge. Villagers had to diligently water the saplings every day for an extended period of time.

The sandy terrain in the village presented considerable obstacles for villagers when transporting water, Li said. It took them about 40 minutes to transport water to the afforested area using a tractor. Then, they had to carry the water with shoulder poles and walk 4 to 5 kilometers to reach the saplings.

"I usually got up at around 4 am, and often only stopped working at around 10 pm at that time," he said.

Thanks to the villagers' relentless efforts, almost 470 hectares of pine trees have been able to thrive despite the extremely dry conditions, expanding the size of the pine forest near the village to 7 square kilometers. Previously, about 230 hectares of the trees were planted in the area in the 1960s and 1970s.

After most saplings survived, Li translated his passion into a steadfast routine of patrolling the afforested area, a commitment he maintained daily from 2011 to 2022. Regardless of the weather, Li patrols the area twice a day, with each patrol lasting for about 4 hours.

"When patrolling, I always carry with me water, prepared food and pickled vegetables," he said. "When I get hungry, I take a bite of the food and then nibble on some pickled vegetables, washing it down with water."

His busiest time each year is always around Tomb Sweeping Day, which is a day for honoring the deceased by sweeping their tombs and burning paper offerings, as the burning results in fire risks.

The most challenging period for Li is winter, during which the temperature drops so significantly that the food he carries can become frozen solid. On such occasions, his son Li Hongwei delivers food to the afforested area for his father.

As his father's mobility reduces with age, Li Hongwei has gradually developed his own emotional connection to the forest. The junior Li became a ranger like his father in 2022.

"I want to safeguard the fruit of labor of my father's generation, and contribute to the further thriving of the forest," Li Hongwei said.

Even though Li Hongwei has assumed his father's responsibilities, the elder Li said he will persist in patrolling the forest. "I will keep patrolling as long as I can walk," Li Hai affirmed.

Contact the writers at [email protected]