The Rebirth Of Qingtu Lake And The Legend Of Sweet Cistanche

Drying up and rebirth: ecological counterattack of Qingtu Lake

Qingtu Lake, located in Minqin County, Wuwei City, Gansu Province, downstream of the Shiyang River, has a tortuous history of ecological changes. It used to be the largest lake in Minqin, with a vast water area of 4000 square kilometers during the Western Han Dynasty, 400 square kilometers during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and 70 square kilometers during the early period of liberation. At that time, Qingtu Lake was a beautiful land with rippling waves, abundant water plants, and the chirping of waterbirds.
However, over time, especially since 1924, there were no major floods into Qingtu Lake, and the water area has begun to shrink year by year. The construction of the upstream Hongyashan Reservoir and the impact of human activities such as farmland cultivation have led to a sharp decrease in the amount of water flowing into Qingtu Lake. In addition, the unreasonable use of water resources has led to a sharp decline in surface water and a significant drop in groundwater levels in the oasis. In the end, in 1959, Qingtu Lake completely dried up, and the former lake became a desert with exposed lakebeds, forming a 13-kilometer-long sandstorm. The Badain Jaran and Tengger deserts gradually merged here, and the proportion of desertification area in Minqin County's land area increased significantly. Minqin County and even the eastern section of the Hexi Corridor faced the risk of being swallowed up by the desert. The local ecological environment deteriorated sharply, and sandstorms ravaged, causing great difficulties to the production and life of residents. "One wind a year, blowing from spring to winter," was a true reflection of the harsh environment at that time.

But the people of Minqin did not give up. In order to improve the ecological environment of the Qingtu Lake area and promote the rapid restoration of vegetation in the area, the ecological governance project of the Shiyang River Basin was launched in 2010, which became a key turning point in the fate of Qingtu Lake. Minqin County has identified the Qingtu Lake area as a key area for sand prevention and control throughout the county, and has launched an arduous battle for ecological restoration through the comprehensive use of various management measures.
Sand compaction afforestation is an important part of the governance process. People lay straw grid and nylon mesh grid sand barriers on sand dunes to fix quicksand, reduce sand movement, and create conditions for vegetation growth. At the same time, a large number of drought-resistant and sand-fixing plants, such as red willows, sand jujubes, and red willows, are planted to form windproof and sand-fixing forest belts. The roots of these plants can firmly grasp the soil, effectively curb the spread of desertification, and improve soil quality. According to statistics, over the years, Minqin County has completed artificial afforestation of 256000 mu, engineering sand fixation of 1.3 million mu, and closure of more than 3.25 million mu of natural sand vegetation.
Discharging ecological water is also a key measure to save Qingtu Lake. Through rational allocation of water resources, a total of 456 million cubic meters of water have been transported to Qingtu Lake, of which 34.8 million cubic meters will be transported in 2024. Adequate water supply has gradually expanded the water area of Qingtu Lake, and the groundwater level has risen from 4.02 meters in 2007 to 2.87 meters now. After years of drying up, Qingtu Lake has regained vitality, forming an artificial seasonal water surface. As of now, the water area has increased to 27.65 square kilometers, and a 127 square kilometer dry wetland has also been formed.
In addition, Minqin County actively promotes the relocation of immigrants, relocating residents living in ecologically fragile areas to suitable living places, reducing the pressure of human activities on the ecological environment of Qingtu Lake. At the same time, we will strengthen the management and protection of ecological protection areas, implement policies such as returning farmland to forests, and promote natural vegetation restoration. After years of persistent efforts, the ecological environment in the Qingtu Lake area has significantly improved, and the once raging sandstorms have been effectively contained. The results of the sixth national desertification survey show that the desertification area in Minqin County has decreased from 90.34% to 88.18%, and from 75.81% to 75.57%, achieving a "double reduction" of desertification and desertification area. Qingtu Lake has transformed from a "sandstorm mouth" to a "migratory bird relay station", becoming a habitat for many waterbirds and wild animals, and the ecological environment has been greatly improved.

Cultivation of Cistanche deserticola

Red Willow and Cistanche: A Desert Legend of Symbiosis
On the land of Qingtu Lake, which is gradually recovering vitality, the red willow tree and the Cistanche deserticola are performing a wonderful symbiotic legend. Red willow, as a pioneer tree species in the desert, has strong vitality and is the "main force" for windbreak and sand fixation in arid desert areas. An adult red willow plant can effectively stabilize 10 square meters of sandy land. Its root system is extremely developed, with the main root able to penetrate more than 5 meters deep into the soil layer and the lateral roots reaching more than 10 meters. It can fully absorb water in arid sandy areas and adapt to harsh desert environments. Its branches are gray white in color and can reflect most of the light, preventing excessive surface temperature and resisting summer heat. The leaves degrade into scales and attach to green branches called assimilation branches to reduce water evaporation and carry out photosynthesis.
And Cistanche deserticola, a precious Chinese medicinal herb known as the "desert ginseng," parasitizes the roots of the red willow tree. Its growth is closely related to the red willow tree. After the seeds germinate in the soil, the seedlings must establish a connection with the roots of the red willow tree through their roots to absorb nutrients and continue to grow. It is a typical parasitic plant that cannot survive without the red willow tree. Cistanche deserticola has a sweet and warm taste and has extremely high medicinal value. It is rich in various beneficial ingredients for the human body, such as echinacoside and verbascoside, and has the effects of tonifying kidney yang, nourishing essence and blood, moistening intestines, and promoting bowel movements. It is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and is a precious medicinal herb. It has also received attention in modern medical research and can be used as a raw material for health food to make various tonics to meet people's health and wellness needs.

Local villagers grow Cistanche deserticola

With the gradual improvement of the ecological environment of Qingtu Lake, the area of the red willow forest continues to expand, providing a solid foundation for the rise of the Cistanche deserticola industry. The local Minqin Yunfeng Cistanche Farmers' Professional Cooperative is a typical representative of the development of this industry. The head of the cooperative, He Derong, is a native of Zhichan Village in Xiqu Town, Minqin County. He has been dealing with sandstorms for many years. In the 1980s, the village was surrounded by flowing sand, making it difficult to harvest crops and causing villagers to suffer from sand damage. After being elected as the village head in 2001, He Derong led the villagers to plant red willow forests to prevent wind and sand. In 2009, during a trip to Inner Mongolia, he discovered the grafting technique of Cistanche deserticola, a precious Chinese medicinal herb that parasitizes the roots of willow trees. With high medicinal value and broad market prospects, he attempted to inoculate Cistanche deserticola under the willow trees.
In the early stages, due to insufficient technology and experience, the survival rate of Cistanche deserticola was less than 30%, but He Derong did not give up. He actively cooperates with Gansu Tiansheng Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and other research institutes to solve technical problems, and conducts cooperation and exchanges with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Northwest A&F University, and other research institutes to explore efficient and high-quality inoculation techniques, disease and pest control, and high-quality Cistanche deserticola seed cultivation. He vigorously promotes organic fertilizers and adopts biological pest control methods. Through continuous efforts, the yield and quality of Cistanche deserticola have gradually improved.
In 2012, He Derong initiated the establishment of the Minqin Yunfeng Cistanche Farmers' Professional Cooperative, embarking on a path of cooperative and large-scale development. In 2013, the cooperative contracted 2000 acres of red willow forests in Qingtu Lake, invested 1.2 million yuan, and introduced 800 acres of Cistanche deserticola for planting. As of now, the cooperative has planted 4600 acres of Cistanche deserticola, with an annual mining volume of over 170 tons and an output value exceeding 10 million yuan. Through the development model of "cooperative+base+farmers", not only has it driven the increase in income and wealth of 106 surrounding villagers, but it has also enabled more and more people to participate in ecological protection and sand industry development, achieving the coordinated development of ecology and economy, and revitalizing the land of Qingtu Lake.

Cistanche deserticola is a nourishing legend that crosses regions

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Sweet Cistanche: A Gift from the Desert to the Market
In the magical land of Qingtu Lake, Cistanche deserticola is not only a gift from nature but also a treasure carefully crafted by modern industries. It enjoys the reputation of "desert ginseng" and occupies an important position in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. In the Compendium of Materia Medica, it is recorded that "Cistanche deserticola has a sweet and salty taste, a warm nature, and is non-toxic. It is used to nourish the five organs, relieve cold, heat, and pain in the stems, strengthen yin, nourish essence and qi, have more children, and treat women's ailments. Long-term consumption can lighten the body." This fully demonstrates the medicinal value of Cistanche deserticola in tonifying kidney yang and nourishing essence and blood. In modern medical research, Cistanche deserticola is rich in various active ingredients such as echinacoside and verbascoside, which have been proven to have antioxidant, immune-regulating, and reproductive function-improving effects, providing many benefits to human health and further verifying its important value in health preservation.
In order to elevate the quality of Cistanche deserticola in Qingtu Lake, the local government actively collaborates with research institutes. The Minqin Yunfeng Cistanche Farmers' Professional Cooperative is a typical representative of this. The cooperative works closely with research institutes such as the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Northwest A&F University, and Wuwei Academy of Forestry to explore efficient and high-quality inoculation techniques for Cistanche, and is committed to improving the success rate and growth quality of Cistanche inoculation; Carry out research on pest and disease control, adopt green and environmentally friendly biological pest control methods, reduce the use of chemical pesticides, and ensure the natural quality of Cistanche deserticola; Cultivate high-quality seeds of Cistanche deserticola, ensuring the excellent variety of Cistanche deserticola from the source and laying a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the industry.

Abundant harvest of Cistanche deserticola

In the processing stage, the cooperative also strictly controls, introduces advanced processing equipment and technology, follows a combination of traditional and modern processing techniques, and maximizes the preservation of the effective ingredients and medicinal value of Cistanche deserticola. Through fine processes such as cleaning, slicing, and drying, high-quality Cistanche products are produced. These products are not only highly favored in the domestic market but also exported overseas and have been recognized and praised by many consumers.
With excellent quality and strict quality control, Qingtu Lake Cistanche has successfully obtained the "Sweet Taste" brand certification. The "Ganwei" brand is a regional public brand created by Gansu Province to enhance the competitiveness of agricultural products in the market and promote high-quality agricultural development. It represents the high quality and unique flavor of Gansu's agricultural products. The selection of Qingtu Lake Cistanche deserticola as the "Sweet Taste" brand is a high recognition of its quality and injects strong impetus into the development of the local Cistanche deserticola industry, further enhancing brand awareness and market influence, allowing this treasure from the desert to shine brighter in the market.
Industry and People's Livelihood: The Green Dividend brought by Cistanche deserticola
In the thriving development of the Cistanche deserticola industry in Qingtu Lake, local villagers have become direct beneficiaries, and stories of increasing income and becoming prosperous continue to unfold in this desert oasis.
Every year during the harvesting season of Cistanche deserticola, the Qingtu Lake Cistanche deserticola planting base presents a busy scene. Surrounding villagers came to the base one after another to work, skillfully shuttling through the red willow forest and carefully picking and excavating the Cistanche deserticola. Villager Shi Mingde is one of them. He smiled and said, "In the past, there were strong sandstorms and poor crop yields here, and life was tight. Since the establishment of the Cistanche deserticola industry, we can work and earn money right at our doorstep, earning around 200 yuan a day without delaying the care of our families. The Cistanche deserticola industry has really brought us tangible benefits." Villagers like Shi Mingde who work in the base have hundreds of people every day. Through their hard work, they have increased their family income and gradually improved their lives.

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

The "Cooperative+Base+Farmers" model adopted by the Minqin Yunfeng Cistanche Farmers' Professional Cooperative has injected strong impetus into the local economic development. Cooperatives work closely with farmers to provide technical guidance and agricultural supply services for the cultivation of Cistanche deserticola, ensuring the quality and yield of Cistanche deserticola. At the same time, the cooperative uniformly purchases the Cistanche deserticola grown by farmers, solving their sales difficulties and allowing them to plant with peace of mind.
Driven by this model, more and more villagers are participating in the Cistanche deserticola industry. According to statistics, the cooperative has encouraged 106 households in the surrounding area to participate in the cultivation of Cistanche deserticola, increasing their income by thousands of yuan per household and helping many families achieve poverty alleviation and prosperity. Some villagers in Zhichan Village, Xiqu Town, used to rely mainly on traditional agricultural cultivation, with meager and unstable income. After joining the cooperative, they inoculated Cistanche deserticola in their own red willow forest. With the help of the cooperative, they mastered scientific planting and management techniques, and the yield and quality of Cistanche deserticola continued to improve. Family income increased significantly, and living standards improved significantly.
In addition to planting and harvesting, the Cistanche deserticola industry has also driven the development of related industries such as transportation, processing, and sales. Some local villagers have purchased vehicles specifically responsible for transporting Cistanche deserticola from the planting base to processing plants or sales markets, earning transportation income in the process. The rise of Cistanche deserticola processing enterprises has also absorbed some villagers' employment. They clean, slice, and dry Cistanche deserticola in the processing workshop to prepare for the product's launch.
The development of the Cistanche deserticola industry has also promoted the improvement of local infrastructure. To facilitate the transportation and sales of Cistanche deserticola, the government has increased investment in infrastructure such as roads, water, and electricity, improved rural transportation and production living conditions, further promoted local economic and social development, and formed a good situation of mutual promotion and coordinated progress between ecological protection and economic development.