Four years ago, a group of workers in Chongqing's Wuxi county worked precariously on steep barren cliffs to plant tree saplings. Today, they're glad to see that the mountains have been transformed.

Their successful ecological endeavor has thrust the group's leader, Lin Yunxi, 65, into the spotlight.

Lin was born in Wuxi's Xiabao township in 1956 and worked as a farmer. But he accumulated expertise in tree planting under the local forestry bureau since he was a young man in the 1970s.

In 1996, he became a contract worker of the bureau and began leading local farmers to plant trees.

The county's Ningchang Ancient Town, one of China's earliest sites for making salt, has a history of more than 4,000 years and is regarded as the cradle of ancient human civilization in the Three Gorges area.

But rocky desertification came over the years. Chen Hui from the ecological restoration department of the local forestry bureau said the inhabitants used trees as fuel for boiling water from a the natural brine spring to extract the salt. Later, in the industrial age, coal was used. Tremendous amounts of soil in the mountains were consumed.

"Natural recovery became almost impossible," Chen said.

To improve the fragile ecology in the ancient town, 65 farmers were asked to plant trees under the guidance of the local government over a four-month span starting in October 2017.

"The tasks were never easy," said Lin, adding that his group had to plant trees on loose, rocky cliffs with gradients of 80 degrees.

The group, mostly male farmers, was divided into smaller groups — three to four people each. The youngest worker was lowered by rope by his teammates, who had secured relatively flat and stable footing above. After the planting tools were dropped down, the worker below dug a pit — 1.3 meters across and about 1 meter deep. Then an equivalent amount of earth and sand were lowered to line the hole. Once a sapling was planted, the worker was hoisted up.

Lin said rockfall caused many small injuries, but no one hesitated to do the job.

In more than three months, some 10,000 saplings — including liana, red maple, yellow locust and triangle plum — were planted on 71 hectares of steep, rocky faces.

Now, the mountains have taken on a new look, with trees rooted deep. They are blooming and flourishing.

Lin said he used to make a living by planting, but when he saw the great changes in the mountains and how afforestation had improved the farmers' lives by conserving the soil and water, he felt a great sense of pride.

"The longer I plant trees, the greater attachment I have for the woods," he said, noting that the toughest part of the job is done. Later management work, such as weeding and pruning, is much easier. With trees, the cliffs have become firmer and safer.

"I have a sound body," he said. "But even if I can't plant trees in the future, I'll let the youngsters know about the benefits."

By Deng Rui and Tan Yingzi in Chongqing | chinadaily.com.cn