Barren to lush, Ningchang's new forests bloom

136 hectares of formerly empty land in Wuxi part of ongoing national afforestation campaign that is re-greening world

Barren, rocky mountains don't sound like the most promising place to plant a forest. Yet, four years ago, the people of Chongqing's Wuxi county worked precariously on steep hillsides and cliffs to do just that.

Now, 136 hectares of formerly empty land have been transformed into a green, vibrant landscape, and those responsible for the change have been dubbed the "cliff tree planters".

The successful endeavor has thrust one of the group's leaders, 65-year-old Lin Yunxi, into the spotlight.

Born in Xiabao township in 1956, Lin started life as a farmer but developed an expertise in tree planting with the local forestry bureau, which he began to work for as a young man in the 1970s.

In 1996, he became a contract worker for the bureau and started to encourage farmers to plant trees.

"A farmer's life is closely linked to trees," said Lin, adding that some of his earliest memories were of how destroying trees could lead to environmental damage.

Decades ago, some older farmers who raised cattle and sheep burned tree cover on a nearby hill to allow the grass to grow. Heavy downpours later washed away the overgrazed earth, covering the fields at the foot of the hill in mud and causing great losses.

Xiabao wasn't alone, as nearby Ningchang ancient town was also affected.

One of China's earliest salt-making sites, Ningchang dates back more than 4,000 years and was already thriving before the start of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). It went on to become one of 10 salt-making cities during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Regarded as the cradle of civilization in the Three Gorges area, it began to suffer from what is known in China as "severe rocky desertification". Also sometimes called "cancer of the earth", rocky desertification is characterized by soil erosion and bedrock exposure and is most common in karst rock regions.