Workers build reticular barriers along sand dunes in the Tengger Desert in Inner Mongolia. China Daily Lou Zhiping is working on a project to combat desertification in northwestern China, thousands of miles from his hometown in Shengzhou, Zhejiang province. The 72-year-old has invented a long reticular barrier fixed vertically along the top of a dune. The barrier is a screen made of two layers of mesh fastened by iron threads and supported by a wooden bracket. When the wind blows, sand sifts through the mesh and settles between the two layers, transforming the screen into sandbags that prevent the whole barrier from falling down and being removed by wind or sand. The development of the barrier has involved 12 years of research into desertification control in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, Qinghai province and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, areas severely affected by land degradation. I hope to provide a new way of combating desertification worldwide, reducing the cost of desertification control and gradually solving this serious environmental issue, Lou said. Once a farmer in his hometown, Lou is a proven inventor. Before he shifted his interest to desertification control, he spent 15 years focusing on gardening and landscaping. One of his previous inventions involved growing plants on vertical walls. In 2003, his involvement in landscaping and interest in ecological restoration inspired him to visit a desert in Inner Mongolia. I was shocked by the desert, a barren area where little precipitation occurred, in Dengkou county, he said. All of the pear trees, which were more than 10 meters tall, were buried under the sand. Few treetops could be seen in the dunes. Recalling the experience as thrilling and devastating, Lou has since devoted his time to developing simple and quick techniques to stop the moving dunes. He became a frequent traveler to the deserts in northwestern China in the years after his initial visit. Few, including his family, knew of his intentions. During his desert trips, he was asked the purpose of his visits. His answer was met with doubt and ridicule. design your own wristband ukwrist band coupon coderubber wristbands in bulkcharity silicone wristbandsblack rubber braceletsbatman wristbandwide rubber bands
A photo of Chinese PLA navy fleet taken in April, 2018. [Photo/VCG] The Chinese military has put an end to 106,000 programs that aim to make profit by June 30, nearly achieving the goal of the three-year plan, the PLA Daily reported. The Central Military Commission said in a circular in March 2016 the military will gradually terminate all paid services in three years, and no new programs or contracts for paid services will be allowed. The circular stressed terminating all paid services was an important political task in building the armed forces, and urged units at all levels to fully implement the decision. The PLA Daily reported multiple military and government organs from the central to local level joined in the terminating work, and the country's top court and top procuratorate also provided support in the judicial field. According to the PLA report, there are still a few sensitive programs in procedures to end. A guideline was released on June 11 to further push ahead the work of ending all commercial activities before the end of this year. Contracts between the military and civilian entities that do not conclude by year's end should be terminated by that time through negotiation or legal procedures, it said, adding compensation will be provided for economic losses. In late 2015, China initiated a new round of military reforms. Ending paid services will help reduce corruption and create an enabling environment for the military to stick to its mission and improve its combat capacity.
