Farmers dry Chinese wolfberry in Guazhou county of Jiuquan, Gansu province. CHINA DAILY When Yang Shengxiang first arrived at Jinhe, a village in Guazhou county, Gansu province, in 2003, all he could see was barren saline-alkali soil surrounded by the endless Gobi desert. Local farmers led a hard life by growing corn and wheat, until Yang, then 21 years old, taught them how to grow Chinese wolfberry, or Goji berry on the poor soil. As of 2021, with the construction of the expressways, they managed to transport their Goji berry products to Beijing, Russia and the European Union. Yang moved to the village together with his family to help the local fight against poverty in 2003. He shared his thoughts with the farmers and gradually earned their trust by helping them repair their houses, doing farm work and building roads.