Zhongwei, Ningxia: Young Power Volunteers Greening the Desert and Fulfilling a Dream

Located in the southeastern part of the Tengger Desert, Zhongwei City stands at the forefront of desertification control in Ningxia. In the 1950s, the straw grid method for stabilizing sand dunes was first implemented here. In 2023, Zhongwei began exploring the “new energy + ecological restoration” model.

Recently, young volunteers from State Grid Zhongwei Power Supply Company traveled to the Jinli Photovoltaic Power Station in Zhongwei, where they engaged in greening efforts amidst the vast desert, turning their vision of sustainability into reality through concrete actions that embody the principles of green development.

Transporting straw, laying grids, and securing sand barriers—one by one, straw grids were meticulously arranged across the desert, forming a series of “green shields” that safeguard the photovoltaic power station.

Zhongwei has established a comprehensive desertification control system known as the “Five-Zone Integrated Model”, which includes sand fixation and firebreak zones, afforestation irrigation zones, grass barrier vegetation zones, frontline sand-blocking zones, and enclosed sand-fostering grassland zones. This system has successfully pushed back the Tengger Desert by 25 kilometers. The Tengger Desert Photovoltaic Base now generates 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually. The region is undergoing a transformation from “advancing desert, retreating people” to “advancing greenery, retreating desert,” serving as a model for ecological civilization construction and offering China’s solution to global desertification control.(Liu Xuanye, Liu Jiao)