Minqin County, located in the northeast of the Hexi Corridor and sandwiched between the Tengger and Badain Jaran deserts, was once one of the most severely desertified counties in the country. This spring, tens of thousands of volunteers set out from all corners of the country to head to Minqin County in central Gansu, all to plant a tree with their own hands. Nearly 80% of them are young people aged 20–35. They shared their experiences and impressions on social media, pushing Minqin—a northwestern county with a permanent population of 170,000—into the spotlight.

A netizen asked, "Why go to Minqin to plant trees?" Among hundreds of comments, many young people said that during the process of planting seedlings by hand they gained an unexpected sense of strength. Some said, "During my days in Minqin, not once did I think about the things that trouble me; I only felt focused, relaxed, and simply happy." Others wrote, "Whenever I'm unhappy, I think of the saxaul I planted in distant Minqin; it grows with me. We both face the sands of life and will also see clear days."

In online videos, young people shoulder shovels and carry seedlings, forming a long, winding line across the desert. One netizen said this is "the Long March of a new generation."