He first introduced the slogan "Come to Minqin and plant a tree" in 2023, which later became an official public welfare campaign launched by the Communist Youth League Committee of Minqin county in February 2025. By May 5 this year, the campaign had attracted more than 50,000 online registrations.

"We started with just a few people trying to do something meaningful for our hometown," Zhong said. "Now more and more young people are joining us. That gives us confidence that this effort can continue."

One of those volunteers is Cai Xiaorui, who joined the campaign after discovering it on social media. This spring, she spent more than 50 days there as a volunteer team leader.

"I saw videos about the campaign online and contacted the organizers through WeChat," Cai said, who is in her twenties. Later she learned they were recruiting long-term volunteers, so she decided to come.

"When we first arrived in early March, everything was still covered by desert," Cai said. "The planting sites were quite far and we had to walk about half an hour to get there. Walking more than 20,000 or even 30,000 steps a day is quite normal for us."

During the day, volunteers dig pits, plant suosuo seedlings, maintain clay sand barriers, and some also help in the kitchen to prepare meals for all participants.

At night, the desert base transforms into a temporary community. Young people gather around bonfires, sing and dance under the stars and talk about their lives far from home.

"Everyone shares the same goal, and all the energy goes in one direction. You feel your days are full and meaningful here," Cai said. "It's not just planting trees. It's also a chance for young people under pressure to reconnect with nature and with each other."

Behind the growing movement is Minqin's "Internet Plus Desert Control" approach, powered by social media.

Volunteers are encouraged to document their daily work through short videos and online posts, helping this movement spread widely. These unpolished yet deeply personal videos have allowed millions of internet users to "see" Minqin for the first time.