A Journey Between Earth and Sky: Documenting Desertification in Xinjiang This photography series captures a personal journey by train through the striking landscapes of Xinjiang, the Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. Known as the most desertified province in the country, Xinjiang accounts for over 44% of China's total desert area, making it one of the most environmentally challenged regions in the world. The region is home to both the Taklimakan Desert in the south and the Gurbantunggut Desert in the north, two of Asia's largest and most rapidly expanding deserts. In response to increasing desertification and sandstorm threats, the Xinjiang division of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) invested 1.8 billion RMB into large-scale sand prevention and vegetation restoration efforts around the Tarim Basin. The environmental goal was ambitious: to reduce the desertified land by 7.6 million hectares by 2015, stabilising fragile ecosystems and supporting sustainable development in this unique and vulnerable part of China. Through this photo series, I document not only the stark beauty of Xinjiang’s vast, arid landscapes but also the quiet resilience of nature and the human efforts to reclaim balance. In this space between earth and sky, where little else seems to exist, the camera captures both the desolation and the hope rooted in the land.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
A Journey Between Earth and Sky is an environmental photography series capturing the harsh beauty and fragile balance of Xinjiang, China’s most desertified region. Traveling by train across the vast expanses of the Taklimakan and Gurbantunggut Deserts, the series documents the stark realities of desertification in Xinjiang, the visible impact of climate change, and the human efforts driving sustainable development.
