Aerial photo taken on July 28, 2018 shows the morning scenery of the Saihanba National Forest Park in Chengde, north China's Hebei Province. The Saihanba forest purifies 137 million cubic meters of water for the Beijing-Tianjin area and can deliver half a million tons of oxygen. However, more than half a century ago it was nothing more than a barren land. The Saihanba region that covers about 93,000 hectares in north China's Hebei Province almost became a waste land in the 1950s due to rampant felling of trees which made it possible for wind to blow sand into Beijing and adjacent regions. Hundreds of foresters in 1962 embarked on tree planting in Saihanba given the heavy price they were paying due to rapid desertification. Three generations of foresters from Saihanba have managed to transform degraded land into a lush green paradise. (Xinhua/Liu Mancang)
