China Focus: China's anti-desertification philosophy, efforts turn sand into gold

XI'AN, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Yinglong, 61, has found a way to plant red matsutake, or red pine mushrooms in the Maowusu Desert, one of China's major deserts, hoping that this will bring economic benefits and encourage more people to join the cause of afforestation.

"We can't just control the sand, but we must also think about how to use the sand so that the people in the sandy areas can prosper," said Zhang,