Chinese highway ‘guardians’ protect Beijing-Urumqi Expressway from desert

A group of Chinese maintenance workers are tasked with ensuring the highway that connects Beijing with the city of Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region remains free of sand. Located at the junction of two deserts and buffeted by high winds, the road is often covered in sand blown by strong winds. To further protect the roads, the guardians also help build sand barriers and plant trees.