Tree-planting programs defy deserts and drought

Afforestation efforts are providing jobs and improving lifestyles in underdeveloped areas. Li Lei reports from Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of stories focusing on the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, looking at developments in the environment, the economy and the cultural and business sectors, and poverty alleviation measures.

After decades of playing economic catch-up at the price of environmental degradation, China has learned to seek financial returns by restoring the land.