Hou Gui waters saplings in Zhangwu County of Fuxin City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, July 17, 2019. Hou Gui, 68, is a villager in Liujia Village of Sihecheng Town in Zhangwu County. Living at the southern edge of Horqin sandy land, Hou has planted more than 200,000 trees on 2,400 mu (160 hectares) of sandy land over the past 18 years. "When I was a child, the wind blew up the sand and I couldn't see anything." Hou Gui said. In order to protect his homeland, Hou Gui began afforestation in 2001. In recent years, with the strengthening of government management, villagers' awareness of forest protection has increased, and the number of livestock grazing in forest areas has decreased significantly. "Through more than a decade of hard work, the natural forest has been preserved and the plantation has been expanding. This is a matter for the benefit of future generations. In my lifetime, I will not go down the mountain." Hou Gui said. (Xinhua/Long Lei)