We spend three hours to reach Tumenzi. According to the old people, there was a small dune here. There were animals and forests. However, in the past century, due to the cutting of trees, the desert has extended to more than fifty thousand mu. There have been barren lands and sandstorms here, which has bad influence on the life of the local people, as well as the safety of the railway and No. 308 National Highway.
In 1980, when the old men in the village chatted with each other, they thought the harnessing of the sand was rather important. Only by bringing the sand under control, could people’s life be improved.
In the winter of 1981, six old men over fifty Shi Man, Zhang Runyuan, Guo Mingchao, Luo Yuankui, Cheng Hai and He Falin contracted to harness the sand in Babusha. The difficulties in the early times were beyond the imagination of the average people. They lived in the cages like the primitive men. The adverse circumstance did not make them give up. They continued harnessing in the desert in the hope of making people live a better life. In 1983, Guo Mingchao was ill badly and could not continue his work. He hoped his son could carry on his work. At that time, his son worked for the local government, but he understood his father, so he resigned and carried on his father’s work.
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