(Photo: CGTN – screenshot)

China’s international broadcaster CGTN has begun airing a 10-episode series on what’s said to be the largest artificial forest in the world.

Six decades ago, Saihanba in north China’s Hebei Province was an area of sandy, barren land. But generations of people living in the province have planted trees in the desert to control the sand, turning more than 70,000 hectares of wasteland into oases.

The word “saihanba” in the Mongolian language means “beautiful highland.” It lies where the North China Plain meets the Mongolian Plateau with an average altitude of 1,500 metres.

CGTN’s Hebei Weichang Series ‘Journeys in Nature’ delves into the stories behind the miracle of Saihanba and explores the unique biodiversity that the giant artificial forest sustains.

The series is available online. Watch Episode 1 and Episode 2.