trapped by the vegetatn, it sinks into the ground, where it is retained in the soil, taking weeks and months to gently seep down and irrigate the fields and terraces below. restoration has occurred over an area of 35,000 square kilometers. the impact of such an enormous addition of vegetation goes far beyond the plateau itself. there's been a significant reduction in the soil rushing down into the yellow river. as i've been traveling around the loess plateau, i've seen extensive changes. the vegetation cover on the hillsides, on the tops of the hills, and down in the valley, everything has changed. it's changed the lives of the people, and in fact, the people themselves have done this because they were the ones who-- who changed their behaviors, terraced the fields, improved the soils, learned to protect the marginal areas. the changes are not simply on the hillsides. on the plains, you can see greenhouses that are filled with vegetables. this extends the growing season. it's a very high value produce. the abundance and variety of new produce can be seen in the local markets. follow-u