Chang Qing knows Tazhong like the back of her hand. She has been a frequent visitor for 18 years. Without her, the town may have been buried by the sand.

Her name means "forever green," a prophetic choice given her chosen career. As a botanist with Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, she has helped with the afforestation project that protects the highway. She spent nine months in Taklamakan every year since 2000. She helped build the world's only botanical garden in the center of a desert.