Wang Xiu, 58, started planting trees in his dirt-poor village in Inner Mongolia in 1974, in response to Mao Zedong's call to make a better country for his descendants. He spent his life planting and tending the trees, to protect his village, Ulansu, from the desert .Now Mr Wang is a broken man. The trees he grew and cared for over 25 years have been cut down, leaving the village to the mercy of the desert and destroying the work of a lifetime. Over 27 hectares, nearly 50,000 trees have been felled. After protesting against this criminal act, Mr Wang and other villagers were arrested by police, forcing many to flee and hide in the hills.