With improving ecological conditions and a booming eco-tourism sector, China is transforming its green resources into economic value.
How many trees are there in China? Latest data show that China’s total forest area has reached 3.614 billion mu. Over the past five years, China has afforested 185 million mu — roughly equivalent to the size of Fujian Province — making it the world’s largest and fastest contributor to global greening.
Both Conservation and Planting Contribute
According to research by Peking University, China had approximately 142.6 billion trees as of 2020, or about 100 trees per person on average. Using drones, LiDAR, and algorithmic models, researchers surveyed more than 76,000 sample plots to produce the first national estimate of China’s tree population.
This “100 trees per person” milestone reflects the combined impact of conservation and afforestation efforts.
As a frontline in desertification control, Minqin County in Gansu Province is currently in the middle of a greening campaign. Surrounded by the Badain Jaran and Tengger deserts, Minqin was once little known to the outside world. The county gained wider attention after the 2024 variety show Farmers for the Land was filmed there, sparking public interest in tree planting.
In recent years, volunteers from across the Chinese mainland, as well as from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asia, have come to plant trees. Many have returned multiple times, turning from casual visitors into regular participants. Some volunteers have even settled locally, devoting themselves to ecological causes and becoming “new villagers” integrated into rural communities.
“My first trip to Minqin required planes, high-speed trains and buses,” Situ Kaixin said. “This time, I met fellow tree planters right after landing and carpooled straight here — so convenient.” She added that some volunteers travelled more than 20 hours by train to take part.
To date, over 40,000 young volunteers have planted more than one million sand-adapted shrubs. They have reclaimed 4,500 mu of decertified land. This small northwestern city is creating an ecological miracle: “where humans advance, deserts retreat.”
Nagqu in Xizang was once known as “China’s only treeless city.” Through the scientific introduction of wind-resistant, UV-tolerant and cold-hardy species such as spruce, combined with patented technologies, the region has broken through technical barriers to plateau afforestation. Today, Nagqu’s urban area is lined with trees and forests.
Green Legacy Means Economic Wealth
This green legacy is not only natural wealth but also economic wealth. Emerging industries such as the under-forest economy and ecotourism are thriving, achieving a win-win between ecological protection and economic development.
In recent years, Xinjiang has actively explored mechanisms to convert the ecological value of forestry, under-forest industries and forest carbon sinks into economic gains.
On the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, once-degraded sandy lands now support high-value cash crops including Aksu apples, Korla fragrant pears and Kashgar pomegranates. These orchards not only serve as windbreaks and sand-fixing ecological barriers but also act as a key driver for income growth among residents in southern Xinjiang.
In Yutian County, another “sweet industry” is taking root on the desert fringe. Xinjiang Silk Road Fruit Treasure Agriculture Co., Ltd. has contracted 17,000 mu of sandy land to pilot an intercropping model of pistachios and roses. Local villager Metkarsim Metreyim has worked here for two years. “The land gets greener day by day, the ecology is better, and our lives are more promising,” he said.
In Fujian Province, with a forest coverage rate of nearly 70%, Zhouning County’s rich biodiversity creates vibrant, colourful landscapes that boost local cultural and tourism industries.
More than 40 kilometres away in Shangban Village, Lin Yiwei is leading villagers in piloting the cultivation of Anoectochilus roxburghii. It is a valuable traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Lin, a post-95s college graduate, returned home in 2024. Seeing the abundant mountain forest resources and favourable soil and light conditions for undergrowth cultivation, he decided to stay and develop under-forest industries.
Lin and his partners are not only utilising the forest, but also experimenting with attaching Dendrobium plants to tree trunks. In the future, they hope to use forest space more comprehensively, unlocking even greater potential from the forests.
Written by Sha Liu, charts created by Di Wang, additional reporting by CNS, ECNS and Xinjiang Daily.
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