Guo Wangang, the successor of the "six old men" of Babu Sand Forest Farm, inherited his father's business and vowed to turn "Huanglong" into an oasis——
For 40 years, the green and yellow sand has turned white
As the second-generation leader of sand control in the Babu Sand Forest Farm, Guo Wangang's son inherited his father's aspirations, planting seedlings step by step and bowling water step by step, keeping the desert into an oasis. From 2003 to early 2020, he led the forest farm to complete 64,000 mu of sand control and afforestation, and 114,000 mu of sand for afforestation, which is equivalent to recreating an "eight-step sand oasis". In March 2019, the Central Propaganda Department awarded the Babu Sand Forest Farm the title of “Model of the Times” as an advanced group of three generations of “six old men” in sand control and afforestation.
"Wuwei's meat sandwiches are very fragrant..." The 68-year-old Guo Wangang sat on the sand dunes, took a bite of the steamed buns in his hand, and said while chewing hard, he could hear the sound of rattling and rattling from his mouth. Outgoing.
In the Hanmagang Desert north of the Babusha Forest Farm, such a working meal is actually hard to swallow-as soon as the wind and sand come, fine gravel will get into your mouth, polish your tongue and teeth, and taste a little Bitter salty taste.
Sand and gravel will also be blown into the eyes and ear holes, blurring sight and hearing, but Guo Wangang still speaks clearly, "In another 10 years, the 2.6 million mu of desertified land in Gulang County will be completely sand-pressed for afforestation. No need to eat sand..."
The Babu Sand Forest Farm is located at the southern edge of the Tengger Desert, the fourth largest desert in my country, and is the largest sandstorm in Gulang County, Wuwei City, Gansu Province. In the winter of 1980, as a pilot project for desertification land development, Shi Man, who was the director of the Yiquan Brigade of Tumen Commune, was the first to stand up. He joined Guo Chaoming, He Falin, Luo Yuankui, Cheng Hai, and Zhang Runyuan, who were more than half a hundred years old. The old man stamped the red fingerprint on the contract and established the Babusha collective forest farm in the form of joint households.
Decades have passed, and the legend of the "six old men" in the Babu Sand Forest Farm continues to control desertification and afforestation.
Today, Guo Wangang, the son of Guo Chaoming, has worked in the desert for nearly 40 years as the second-generation leader in sand control. He led everyone to not only complete the desert control in the Babu Sand Forest Farm, but also contracted a number of national key ecological construction projects, which is equivalent to recreating an "Eight Step Sand Oasis".
"Only by controlling the sand can we protect our home"
"There is no shortage of children and grandchildren, and if the mountains do not increase, why bother and not level?" This is a classic sentence in the story of Yugong moving mountains, showing the confidence and perseverance of the ancient working people to move mountains and fill the sea. But in Guo Wangang's view, in Babusha, where there is "the mountain does not increase", it is obviously "the sand advances and the others retreat."
Since the beginning of the last century, the sand dunes of Babusha have moved southward at a speed of 7.5 meters each year, with a total area of more than 40,000 mu. Either watch the desert swallowing homes and eating farmland; or plant trees to control sand and break out a way out against the violent yellow sand!
That year, the "six old men" rolled up a blanket and carried dry food. After a hard year, they finally planted nearly 10,000 mu of saplings in Shawowo. But in winter, two northwest winds broke half of the saplings.
Looking at the bare desert, a few stubborn young saplings caught their attention-as long as there is a ring of grass, the saplings can live, and no amount of wind and sand can blow down. Since then, "a tree and a grass, holding down the yellow sand and digging out the wind" has become the belief of the "six old men".
In the spring of the second year, just after the Qingming Festival, the "six old men" mobilized more than 40 people from 6 families and set off again into the desert. Guo Wangang, who was less than 30 years old, was already working at the Tumen Town Supply and Marketing Cooperative and was dragged into the sand nest by his father.
Guo Wangang recalled, "At that time, it was really bitter!" Digging a hole in the sand, supporting it with a wooden stick, and covering it with thatch, it became a "district shop". Sometimes there was a strong wind in the middle of the night and the thatch was swept up. Everyone had no choice but to put the quilt on their heads and stay in the icy sandpit until dawn.
"At first, I didn't understand it." One year, a huge sandstorm occurred in Gulang, which claimed the lives of 20 people. Looking at the grieving expressions of the villagers, Guo Wangang suddenly realized, "Father is right. Only the sand is cured. In order to keep home!"
In 2000, Guo Wangang officially took over the burden of the director. After nearly 20 years of hard work, Babusha has planted more than 10 million trees and protected nearly 100,000 mu of farmland.
"The desert does not retreat and people do not retreat, the grass and trees do not live, and people do not leave!" After three years of work, Guo Wangang led everyone to complete the control of the last 20,000 mu of desert in the Babu Sand Forest Farm jurisdiction, turning the desert into an oasis.
The green relay of father and son
In Babusha, there is a special request-the green relay between father and son.
Those who made the same choice as Guo Wangang were Luo Yuankui's son Luo Xingquan, Cheng Hai's son Cheng Shengxue, He Falin's son He Zhongqiang, Shi Man's son Shi Yinshan and Zhang Runyuan's son-in-law Wang Zhipeng. In 2016, Guo Xi, the grandson of Guo Chaoming and the nephew of Guo Wangang, also came to Babusha...
They are supported by the spiritual power of the "six old men".
"To manage tens of thousands of acres of desert, can only a few of you old men come over? You are killing me like this..." That year, Guo Wangang, who was carrying the "iron rice bowl" in the Tumen Supply and Marketing Cooperative, had this to his father Guo Chaoming. complain.
Guo Chaoming is the oldest of the "six old men". He was already 60 years old when the sand control started. He often fell into the sand nest. Guo Wangang watched his tired old father tears.
Guo Chaoming’s words were like a screaming—"For so many years, it has been sand driving people away. Now, we have to push in against the sand. Eight steps of sand cannot be cured, and our children and grandchildren can't keep it!"
In the year his father died, he was not buried in the ancestral tomb in accordance with local customs, but in the Babu Sand Forest Farm. Guo Wangang said, "The old people have negotiated and will not enter the ancestral graves and enter the forest farm, but will watch the children and grandchildren continue to control the sand and plant trees..."
In the spring of 1991, 66-year-old He Falin fainted next to a tree pit and was sent to the hospital for rescue. He was in the late stage of cirrhosis. At the time of his death, He Falin said to his 22-year-old son He Zhongqiang, "Baby, I have nothing left for you in my entire life. You can plant this tree."
In the winter of that year, He Zhongqiang quit his job as a part-time worker and came to Babusha with the bedding. From then on, "three bricks were placed in a pot, and the bedding was rolled to cover the sand nest."
Spring goes and autumn comes, cold and summer, Guo Wangang led the second generation of sand control people in Babusha, just like their fathers, one seedling step by step, a bowl of water step by step, countless repetitions, countless sorrows and joys, Tengger Desert Finally moved by their tenacity and tenacity, the sand has retreated, the seedlings have grown strong, the trees have become green, the flowers have bloomed, and the birds have come.
From "the sea of death" to "economic oasis"
Now, Guo Wangang is called "Guo Old Man". Having dealt with the desert for many years, he looked old and dark, his body was thin, his waist was bent, and his hair was white.
As the leader of the second generation of desert control people, Guo Wangang not only took over the heavy saplings from his fathers, but also took over the burden of "controlling desertification and poverty".
Focusing on key national ecological construction projects, Guo Wangang led Babu Sand Forest Farm to start new attempts in technology, management, and industrial development.
They explored a new method of “controlling sand first, treating the nest, then the slope, and then the beam”. They applied the “grid-like double-eyebrow” sand barrier structure, implemented afforestation management and protection grid management, and tried to cut grass, New models and technologies such as fine water drip irrigation and mulching film coverage have gradually embarked on the road to market-based sand control.
In 2010, the Babu Sand Forest Farm realized the transformation of enterprise, and the Babu Sand Greening Company was established to explore a new way of "promoting forests with agriculture, supporting forests with side-by-side cultivation, simultaneous agriculture and forestry, and scientific development".
In 2018, Babu Sand Forest Farm transferred 12,500 mu of land from more than 2,500 poor households in the Huanghuatan resettlement area to develop economic forests in accordance with the "company + base + farmers" model, and helped poor households get rid of poverty and become rich through characteristic industries. The forest farm has also established an under-forest economic breeding cooperative to breed "walking chickens" in the desert, with an annual income of 200,000 yuan.
From 2003 to the beginning of 2020, Guo Wangang led the Babu Sand Forest Farm to complete 64,000 mu of sand control and afforestation, seal 114,000 mu of sand for afforestation, and plant more than 20 million sandy seedlings, which is equivalent to recreating an "eight step sand oasis" .
From "sand advancement and retreat" to "greenness advancement and retreat", from "death sea" to "economic oasis", for the past 40 years, three generations of sand control people have persistently challenged deserts and poverty and vowed to turn "Huanglong" into an oasis. , With life and sweat, forged an extremely solid ecological barrier.