The Miracle Of Oasis in The Desert: Liu Mingting's Promise Of Green in Xinjiang

Passionate youth, heading to the border
In 1957, Liu Mingting, who was about to graduate from the Department of Biology at Lanzhou University, carried an infinite passion for the borders of our motherland in his heart. He volunteered and wrote a letter to Yang Xiufeng, the then Minister of Higher Education, firmly expressing his strong desire to go to the most difficult and needed border areas of our country. This persistence and courage stem from his deep love for his motherland and a sense of mission towards border construction.
Liu Mingting is well aware that although the conditions in border areas are difficult, they are the places where the country needs talents the most. He yearns to contribute to the development of the border with the knowledge he has learned. Finally, he was assigned to the Biology Research Office of the Xinjiang Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and embarked on a challenging road to desertification control.

The villagers of Hetian Village in Xinjiang are digging and harvesting Cistanche deserticola 

From that moment on, Liu Mingting's life was closely connected to the deserts of Xinjiang. With passion and unwavering faith, he devoted himself to this vast and challenging land, embarking on an extraordinary journey of desertification control.
Desert exploration, discovering red willows

In 1959, Liu Mingting joined the Taklamakan Desert Comprehensive Scientific Expedition Team, opening his inseparable bond with the Red Willow. During the investigation, he discovered the excellent sand fixing plant "Taklamakan tamarisk" with his keen observation and professional knowledge. This discovery is like finding a brilliant pearl in the desert, bringing new hope for desert management.
Afterwards, Liu Mingting did not stop exploring. He continued to venture deep into the desert and successively discovered four new species of tamarisk, including Shache tamarisk, Tarim tamarisk, Jinta tamarisk, and Baihua tamarisk. He became the discoverer and designated person of a quarter of the species in the Chinese tamarisk family, making outstanding contributions to botanical research in China.
The discovery of these new species is not only an academic achievement, but also provides valuable resources for desert management in Xinjiang. Liu Mingting is well aware of the enormous potential of red willows in sand fixation, and he has devoted himself wholeheartedly to long-term experiments and research on the introduction, seedling cultivation, afforestation, and comprehensive development of red willows. He repeatedly experimented and continuously improved the breeding and seedling yield of red willows, increasing the seedling yield per acre from 50000 to 500000. This achievement was at the forefront of the world at that time.

Host of Cistanche deserticola - Red Willow

Windbreak and sand fixation, building barriers

Give military orders to control quicksand
In 1982, quicksand approached the county town of Cele, and the situation was severe. Liu Mingting and his colleague Zhang Henian stepped forward and issued a "military order", promising to control 60000 acres of quicksand within 5 years and restore vegetation coverage at the forefront of sandstorms from less than 5% to 30% to 40%. They adopt a combination of biological sand control and engineering sand control technology based on the local actual situation. On the one hand, seal off and divert floodwaters to restore vegetation in sandy areas; On the other hand, afforestation and sand fixation are carried out in the wind blown sand areas, and a comprehensive sand control system is established around the periphery of the Cele oasis. Subsequently, a comprehensive protection system for the "desert oasis" transition zone is established, and a three-dimensional agriculture of "grain, cotton, fruit, mulberry, and grass" is established in the transition zone. With tenacious perseverance and scientific methods, they achieved their expected goals ahead of schedule in just three years.

Planting of Cistanche deserticola 

Invention of a new method to expand red willows
During the process of sand prevention and control, Liu Mingting invented the method of introducing red willows through flood erosion. In 1985, he received the task of restoring 100000 red willows in the southern Xinjiang region for windbreak and sand fixation protection. He took a bus with his bedding roll and Kantuman to the scene for more than 10 days. The sight of yellow sand all over the road further strengthened his determination to prevent and control desertification. This method of using floods to wash away red willow seeds is both simple and practical, saving a lot of manpower and material resources. Nowadays, the method of using flood irrigation to breed red willows and fix sand has been promoted throughout Xinjiang, expanding the cultivation of red willows by millions of acres and building a green barrier on the edge of the desert. This project was awarded the "Global Land Degradation and Desertification Control Success Performance Award" by the United Nations Environment Programme, which was first established in 1995. Liu Mingting has won 28 international, national, provincial and ministerial level science and technology awards, including 3 United Nations desertification control awards.
Sand sea gold mining helps farmers increase their income

Artificial planting of red willows and big clouds
After Liu Mingting successfully started experimenting with planting Red Willow Dayun at the Cele Sand Control Station, he was determined to pass on this technique to the public. He was well aware that the Red Willow and Big Cloud are not only precious traditional Chinese medicinal herbs in the desert, but also the hope for farmers to lift themselves out of poverty and become prosperous. With the joint efforts of him and the local government, the planting area of Dayun in Hotan area has rapidly expanded to hundreds of thousands of acres. Many farmers have overcome poverty and embarked on the path to wealth by planting red willows and big clouds.
Liu Mingting's red willow and big cloud planting technique was not achieved overnight. In the late 1980s, he conducted the first successful artificial inoculation experiment of Red Willow and Big Cloud at the Cele Sand Control Station. However, in the following years, this research achievement went unnoticed. Until 1995, relevant departments in Yutian County sought out retired Liu Mingting for a "sand sea gold rush" method. Without hesitation, Liu Mingting agreed. He pulled 20000 cultivated red willow seedlings from the Cele Sand Control Station and came to Aoyiogerak Township in Yutian County. He leveled 50 acres of experimental land in the sand pile and began to test planting big clouds at the roots of the red willow. Two years later, the successful trial planting of Hongyu Dayun gave hope to Liu Mingting and also showed the local farmers the dawn of prosperity.

Cistanche deserticola florescence 

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In order to ensure that farmers could plant large orchids with peace of mind, Liu Mingting settled down with his wife and children by the experimental field. He not only personally guided farmers in planting red willows and big clouds, but also imparted his skills to them without reservation. In 2003, Liu Mingting obtained the first invention patent for the cultivation of Dayun in China, and subsequently successfully developed the high-yield method of "trenching and sowing" for Dayun. He always adhered to the concept that "science and technology cannot be locked in drawers", and since then, he has been imparting technology to the surrounding people for free. Over the past 20 years, he has taught many Uyghur people step by step how to plant Dayun.
Continuous dedication without stopping
Nowadays, although Liu Mingting is old and suffering from various diseases, he is still active in the forefront of scientific research and practice. He is busy every day, either sorting out relevant information about Dayun and preparing to publish a book, or riding that old motorcycle to go to the village and teach everyone how to plant Dayun in Bazaar and fields.

Cistanche deserticola flower

Liu Mingting is still exploring, hoping to find more species that can generate benefits in the desert. He said, "I have studied the red willow all my life and cannot let it go. I want to hand over all the technology to farmers and pass it on for generations to come." His red willow has gradually spread from Xinjiang to major desert areas such as Gansu and Inner Mongolia, and from the desert to the mouth of the Yellow River, starting to control the severely saline alkali land along the coast. In 2017, he also became a specially appointed expert in Changyi City, Shandong Province, dedicated to researching the planting technology of the Red Willow Coast.
Liu Mingting and his family have taken root in Yutian County and poured over 60 years of love and affection into the boundless desert. He has fulfilled his vow of using technology for the people through his practical actions, dedicating his life to the development of science in Xinjiang, poverty alleviation and prosperity for farmers, and national unity.