Private firms help push back deserts and poverty

Entrepreneurs in Inner Mongolia are playing a key role in combating desertification through economic development, as Hou Liqiang reports.

The Kubuqi Desert, 800 kilometers west of Beijing, used to be a significant source of the sandstorms that plagued northern China until about a decade ago. A strong breeze could carry sand to the Chinese capital overnight, but it was residents of the desert who suffered the most.

"When I was young, we had a lot of troubles with sand. Often, in just one night, sand would pile up outside our house, blocking the door," said Chen Ningbu, a 70-year-old resident of the desert in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region.