A worker carries tree seedlings in the desert to combat desertification. [Photo/Xinhua]

Though the factory only made just over 10 yuan in profit from each metric ton of salt at the time, Wang decided to allocate 5 yuan of that to tree planting.

He soon found, however, that many locals were still plagued by poverty despite the greening of the desert, which made him think about bringing in industries and starting his own business.

"If trees are planted without bringing economic benefits, lush mountains and lucid water will fail to be valuable assets," the 58-year-old entrepreneur said.

While the tree planting continued, Wang - now chairman of Elion Resources Group - started to develop a multi-industry model making use of local conditions.

Medicinal herbs such as licorice - a drought-resistant plant that has a cooling effect on the body and can help improve soil - have been planted, and his company has also helped develop local tourism, making full use of the desert's appeal. Given the abundant sunlight, solar power generation has also been brought in.

Before Elion launched its solar power project in the desert in late 2015, Zhao Rui, from Hanggin Nao'er village near the desert, made a living by farming 8,000 square meters of farmland, planting corn and wheat.

"Yields varied depending on the weather," the 40-year-old farmer said. "In good years, we could harvest 2.5 tons of grain a year. When the weather wasn't favorable, the harvest only stood at about 1 ton."

Since 2016, when Zhao and his mother moved into an 80-sq-m house built for them by the government, their life has changed dramatically due to Elion's development of the local industry.