Stage production brings Aksu's green transformation to life

An original musical production depicting how people of different ethnic groups transform a barren expanse in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region into an oasis was staged in Beijing on Thursday.

"Spring Breezes Green Kekeya," a musical production, is staged in Beijing on July 9, 2026. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

Through music, dance, poetry, and immersive visual effects, "Spring Breezes Green Kekeya" recreates Aksu's four-decade efforts to combat desertification and restore its environment.

The performance took audiences back to 1986, when the Kekeya greening project was launched on a barren, windswept stretch of land near Aksu. Across six chapters, it portrays local officials and residents of different ethnic groups planting trees, diverting water, improving saline soil, and developing orchards.

This combo photo shows a bulldozer leveling the ground in Kekeya in 1986, and an aerial view of Kekeya of Aksu Prefecture taken in 2023, northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]

Located on the northern edge of the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang, Kekeya used to be plagued by strong winds and sandstorms.

Over the past four decades, successive generations have continued planting and protecting trees. The project later expanded into a broader ecological restoration campaign across Aksu, including afforestation, watershed restoration, and efforts to build a green belt around the Taklimakan Desert.

"I brought my two kids to watch this dance show today," said an audience member Zhu Dewen. "I hope they can learn from the spirit of the people of Aksu — stay fearless in the face of adversity."