However, over the years, tourism development has gradually developed. Especially with more and more money in everyone's pockets, many tourist attractions have been built on the edge of this desert.

Among them, the poplar forest park is the most famous.

Du Lengqiu is just a teenager working hard in the mainland. He had neither a ticket nor the time to travel.

But as a new era of media, it can still be seen on video.

Populus euphratica in Western Xinjiang is known as "born and immortal for a thousand years, dead and immortal for a thousand years, and incorruptible for a thousand years".

In the desert area near the Tarim River in Luntai, the momentum and scale of poplar forests are the first in the country, and the poplar forest park in Luntai is also an ornamental park for the psammophytes and poplar forests in China.

When the autumn colors fall, step into the poplar forest, surrounded by brilliant gold. In the depression pond, under the blue sky and white clouds, the reflection of Populus euphratica is like a dream. The desert hinterland, 100 kilometers south of Luntai, is a large area of primitive poplar forest, and many ancient poplar trees are more than 1 meter in diameter.

The poplar trees of the Hotan River are all secondary forests, most of them are tower-shaped, with lush branches and leaves, and the whole body is golden and clear in autumn.

In the desert south of Taklamakan you can often see the bonsai-like poplar scene, where the poplar stands quietly in the sand dunes, as if it were embellished on earth.

The beauty of Populus euphratica is inseparable from its own vicissitudes, and the trunk of the tree is dry and cracked and twisted, and the body of the tree, which looks like a dead tree, often irregularly and tenaciously stretches out a brilliant golden life, so that death and survival in the harsh environment of the desert are harmoniously expressed.

And if it's summer. Du Lengqiu remembers seeing an aerial video of the Tarim River, which is turquoise and dotted with poplar trees on both banks.

It looks extremely shocking, like a green dragon crawling in the desert.

However, this is only a small area of the Tarim River, and it is only a small part of the entire desert.

In fact, the entire Takaramakan Desert lives up to its name as the Sea of Death.

The Taklamakan Desert is extremely sparsely vegetated, and almost the entire area lacks plant cover. In the depression between the dunes, the groundwater is not more than 3~5 meters from the surface, and sparse tamarix, saltpeter shrubs and reeds can be seen. However, a thick layer of quicksand hinders the spread of this vegetation.

Vegetation is abundant at the edge of the desert – where sand dunes meet river valleys and deltas, and where groundwater is relatively close to the surface. There, in addition to the above-mentioned plants, there are also some varieties endemic to the valley: Populus euphratica, Euphoria, camel thorn, Tribulus terrestris and Piglet. The sand dunes on the hill are often formed around shrubland.

Around the desert, dense poplar forests and tamarix shrubs grow and develop, forming a "green island of sand sea". In particular, on both sides of the Khotan River, which runs through the desert, there are a variety of sandy weeds such as long-growing reeds and poplars, forming a "green corridor" in the desert, and the "corridor" is connected by gurgling water and oases.

Wild rabbits, small birds and other animals live in the forest belt, which also adds a little life to the "Sea of Death".

There is a large piece of plants written on it, and it looks like there are quite a lot, in fact, the plants are a little bit of embellishment in this desert, like a hair.

To see if there is life in the desert, you need to look at the animals.

Animals in the Taklamakan Desert are also extremely scarce.

It is only in the desert margins, in ancient and modern river valleys and deltas where water and grass exist, that the fauna is more diverse. Flocks of antelopes can be seen in the open areas, and in the bushes of the valley there are wild boars, lynxes, Tarim rabbits, wild horses, swans, woodpeckers. Among the carnivores are wolves, foxes and sand pythons.

And once you go deep into the middle of the desert, you immediately have sand dunes, or sand dunes.

But now it's a different story.

Du Lengqiu flew hundreds of miles, almost across the entire desert. Here, all traces of people's existence have disappeared. Only the road built along the desert has remained untouched. Of course, there are still stubborn grasses drilled out of the road one after another, declaring their tenacity.

And here, the yellow sand has come to an end. This is not to say that the yellow sand is gone. Instead, they have been dug into the throat by the endless grass roots, and it is difficult for them to be majestic again.

Du Lengqiu saw a scorched black trace on the edge of the desert.

He flew into the air, picked up a piece of black soil and looked at it.

Immediately, he laughed.

Obviously, this place is adjacent to Lop Nur, and the scenery of water and grass is seen, so people set fire to the wasteland and prepare to grow grain. It's just that here and Lop Nur are two cases.

Until the sand is completely eradicated and transformed, it will not be possible to grow food here.

The Taklamakan Desert is completely different from Lop Nur, a desert that is extremely old. According to some experts, of course, it is also possible that the brick family has verified that the desert has existed for more than 4.5 million years.

Lop Nur used to grow food a thousand years ago. This is called a different foundation.

As soon as Lop Nur impounds water, it can be farmed. Of course, although the grain production was low at the beginning, it was still possible to grow.

The desert doesn't hurt. Even if there are aquatic weeds, they can only be used for grazing. But in this era, not to mention grazing, you can't even breed herd.

I don't know how many farmers have mutated in the animals they raise, and then there are bloody cases. Up to now, even the government departments no longer encourage everyone to engage in breeding, and they really can't afford it.

As a result, the source of meat became the same as in feudal times, relying on hunting.

But isn't the desert turning into a grassland any good for mankind?

The answer, of course, is yes.

It's just that human beings can't realize it for a while.

Du Lengqiu crossed the desert and did not continue westward. He is not familiar with Central Asia, let alone has any feelings, but there is a country on the South Asian subcontinent that he cares about very much-the three countries of Afghanistan.

How has this self-proclaimed powerful nation fared in the midst of today's cataclysm?

Du Lengqiu had never paid attention to it before due to the pressure of survival, but now, he finally had a little leisure and went to take a look.

To turn south from the western frontier, you need to cross the Altyn Mountains. This snow-capped mountain is one of the famous mountains in Western Xinjiang. However, in the interior, its name is completely overshadowed by the Tian Shan and Kunlun Mountains.

When Du Lengqiu flew over the snowy mountain, he saw that on the top of the snow peak, a fluffy snow monster was beating his chest on the top of the mountain. In Du Lengqiu's opinion, its appearance is still very cute.

It is precisely because of its cute appearance that it is saved from death.

Crossing the Altun Mountains, Du Lengqiu traveled all the way south, through the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, to the most majestic mountain group on the Blue Star, the Himalayas, known as the king of mountains.