A forest fortress built over 3 generations

Vast woodland project prevents desert sands from burying Beijing, as Zhao Xu reports from Saihanba National Forest Park, Hebei province.

Two centuries ago, Saihanba was a royal hunting ground, probably one of the largest in the world. The landscape was beautiful, boundless, lush with plants and alive with wild creatures.

Sixty years ago, the same expanse of land, near Chengde, Hebei province, was barren, plagued by sandstorms and forbidding winters. Nature was merciless.