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A barricade built of roses
Los Angeles Times
|November 23, 2025
What is said to be the world’s longest ecological safety barrier around a desert stretches for a length that roughly equals the straight-line distance between Los Angeles and Chicago.
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Completion of that barrier of more than 1,800 miles, encircling China's Taklimakan Desert, was completed about a year ago in a very simple way: the planting of a rose seedling in Hotan prefecture of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
The natural conditions in Hotan are well-suited to growing roses, with the history of their cultivation spanning over 2,000 years.
Initially, local people planted roses in their courtyards to make jam and tea. These varieties have excellent drought and salt-alkali resistance. As the needs of sand prevention grew alongside industrial development, roses became large-scale crops that prevented wind erosion, served as economic crops, and supported industrial development.
This story is from the November 23, 2025 edition of Los Angeles Times.
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