Top: File photo taken in 1979 by Zhao Changchun shows Xia Xuncheng (R), a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, taking a sand sample in northwest China's Lop Nur Desert. Bottom: Photo taken on May 30, 2019 by Wang Peng shows Wang Bingyao (R) and Li Yunfei from the academic research of Shapotou station under Chinese ecosystem research network testing the surface temperature of sand dunes on the southern edge of the Tengger Desert in Zhongwei City, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. China's endeavors to tame the desert dated back to the 1950s, when scientists started with researches on the desert. The straw checkerboard sand barriers invented by Chinese scientists gained wide recognition from foreign experts in 1977. The country's afforestation campaigns over the years have boosted the enormous transformation from the increase in barren land to the spring up of green belts, which derives mainly from continuous efforts made by Chinese researchers and scientists to combat desertification from generation to generation. In 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded, the Chinese people faced a devastated country that needed to be rebuilt from scratch after decades of warfare and chaos. After decades of unremitting endeavors and dedication by the Chinese people, China has grown to be the world's second largest economy. In 1952, China's GDP was 30 billion U.S. dollars, while in 2018, its GDP reached 13.61 trillion U.S. dollars, an increase of 452.6 times. A group of combo photos give you a glimpse of what Chinese people did decades ago and what they do right now. Undoubtedly, people from all walks of life in China with hard work and wisdom have made contributions to the country's development. (Xinhua)

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