Over the past seven decades, 20 people have worked as Party secretary of the county, and planting trees has always been their priority.

In the 1970s, the county's 11th Party secretary Chang Lu added one more planting season to the original two to plant more trees. Shi Fa, the county's 14th Party secretary said he would resign if the forest coverage rate aim could not be realized.

"We no longer have to worry about moving or our living environment. This is our biggest happiness, as well as the initial pursuit of the Party secretary of the county," Wang Degong said.

Locals are also looking forward to a better life.

"I hope to make more money and live a more comfortable life," said Zhang Jianping, a villager in Huangjiayao Village, who worked his way out of poverty by planting Radix Isatidis, a medicinal herb, in 2017.

"We should not only protect the county from sandstorms but should also help residents benefit from ecological construction," said Wu Xiuling, the county's current Party Secretary.

The initial pursuit should always be there, and green trees should be turned into fortunes, Wu said.

So far, over 20 hectares of Radix Isatidis have been planted in Huangjiaoyao, with each hectare generating 1,000 yuan ($145) every year.

The county is also developing green industries such as eco-tourism which attracts an increasing number of visitors and tourism income.