In such harsh conditions, Shi's father relocated his family nine times to evade the encroaching sands.

Driven by the desire to secure a better future for generations to come, Shi embarked on an anti-desertification mission at a young age. "Combating desertification is for our descendants. We've endured the hardships of desertification too much; we cannot let our children suffer the same fate," he said.

In 1968, 16-year-old Shi was elected as the production team leader of Getatao village in Haiziliang commune. His first task was to mobilize the community in tree planting efforts, resulting in the successful cultivation of 14,000-mu trees in three years, the first green achievement in Haiziliang.