lei and sonny visited bochuan’s desert environmental and economic rehabilitation project in the Tibetan Plateau.
The planting of 梭梭树 Suōsuō Tree (haloxylon ammodendron or Saxaul) resurrects the desert’s ability to hold water and nourish other plants. The plant is also a host to 肉苁蓉 Ròu Cóng Róng (Cistanche deserticola), a prized ingredient in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Not only does the agriculture of the saxaul and Cistanche deserticola revive the land’s fertility and habitability, it also generates income for the local farmers, breathing new life into ecology and economy.