There are two paths in the woods, and I chose the one that is difficult to walk on. After graduating from university 16 years ago, I took the initiative to become a volunteer in the Western Project and came to the 170th Regiment of the 9th Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

The first feeling is desolate and the sand is covered with yellow sand. Located on the edge of the Gurbantonggut Desert, this place is a desert Gobi. Not only does it not grow buildings, but it even grows grass. There will be more than 180 days a year when there are strong winds above level 8, which will fly over the roof and will also roll up stones and hurt people. In spring, the young seedlings of wheat and corn were blown away as soon as they emerged. People are afraid of being bullied by wind and sand, and cannot see the hope of life, and their hearts are also "barren".

Oasis is hope in the desert and also hope on the road of life. If not, then cultivate yourself. In those years, one of my main jobs was to plant trees. There is no soil on the Gobi Desert, and the hoe is useless. You have to use a pickaxe to chisel one by one, and then dig it bit by bit with a shovel after chiseling. After a while, my hands grind out blood blisters. We brought water and food, and worked outdoors for a whole day. The sun was so fierce that my face and neck were peeled off. Day after day, we have tried planting many trees, and only sea buckthorn can survive. Its root system is like a net, which can hold the soil tightly, and can also symbiotic with nitrogen fixation bacteria, converting nitrogen in the air into nitrogen needed for growth. If you take root in the desert, you must grow against the wind, adapt to the environment tenaciously, and strive to transform nature. This is true for sea buckthorn, and so is human.

Sowing trees is not easy, let alone sowing hope. In order to improve planting efficiency and survival rate, my colleagues and I spent 8 years selecting and breeding the most suitable varieties for planting here from 47 varieties. After the selection and breeding is completed, planting is promoted, and the group will distribute the sea buckthorn forest with the best fruit-bearing and the highest survival rate to the local people. At the beginning, many people were puzzled: "What can sea buckthorn be done?" "What should I eat after planting sea buckthorn?" I don't understand, mainly because I don't understand. I patiently explain and tell you that growing sea buckthorn can prevent wind and sand, and only by having a good ecology and life can it be better; in the face of the worry that sea buckthorn fruit cannot be sold, I made a promise of "acquisition" and fulfilled all... Only when I see hope can everyone be motivated. In the end, 14,000 mu of sea buckthorn forest were planted in the whole group, and the survival rate of sea buckthorn seedlings increased from 50% to more than 90%. With time and the strength of the whole people, sea buckthorn has taken root in the desolate desert, and the hope of life has also taken root in the industry.

What we want to sow is not the flash of hope, but the light that lasts forever. Sea buckthorn fruit is rich in nutrition, but without a mature market, it cannot produce economic benefits. I finally found hope, and I must not fail! In order to open up sales, I run around and now I am on business trips for more than 300 days every year. After being turned away, he knocked on the next door. Finally, we successfully launched 24 sea buckthorn products and received good market feedback. Sea buckthorn fruit has become a "golden bean" for increasing income and becoming rich. The average annual income of employees of the 170th Group increased from 45,000 yuan in 2019 to 140,000 yuan in 2024. The industry has a future, the people have hope, and life is thriving.

After more than ten years of dealing with sea buckthorn, I have also grown up like sea buckthorn. The sea buckthorn withstands the wind, sand, scorching sun and severe cold, and with its tenacious vitality, it sows a large area of ​​green in the vast yellow sand, illuminating the vast Gobi Desert. Faced with difficulties, gritting one's teeth and perseverance, and self-hardening, more and more people are taking root and growing on this difficult road, making the desert no longer lifeless.

A difficult road, from another perspective, isn’t it a way to gain something from doing things and starting a business and making a difference? Like sea buckthorn, it is my blessing and my hope.

(The author is Wang Junyang, chairman of Xinjiang 170 Tuan Silk Road Seabuckthorn Biotechnology Co., Ltd., and interviewed and compiled by our reporter Jiang Yunlong)