Qin Jianghong (L), director of the cotton research institute of Shihezi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, picks cotton seeds for experiments with colleagues in Shihezi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 10, 2019. Shihezi, some 150 kilometers northwest of Urumqi, is a young city that was established in the 1950s in the gobi desert of Xinjiang. Thanks to several generations' efforts of Xinjiang people and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, it has become a beautiful and developed city in the autonomous region. The urban green area has reached 2,580 hectares, the green space in parks has reached 341 hectares, as well as 8 theme parks are located across the city. Besides the changes of environment, the development of mechanical farming and modern technologies also inject vigor and vitality into the city. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)