Abstract: Shapotou area,where the Baotou-Lanzhou Railway pass through is situated at the southeast edge of Tengger Desert,belonging to steppe desert zone.Under this harsh condition,whether the establishment of artificial vegetation without irrigation could succeed had been a question,we had studied this problem for many years.In the Shapoton Desert Scientific Research station research work has conducted for more than 30 years and it is proved that the phytoreclamation is entirely possible.The artificial vegetation model has been established,and having been adopted by the Railway Forest Farm,the railway is protected reliably from sand drift. At the first stage of plantation,weused wheat straw to make checkerboard to fix the moving sand dunes.Then planted sand fixator,such as Artemisia ordosica,Hedysarum scoparium,Caragana korshinskii in belts. We plantedSalix gordejevii and Calligonum arborescens on the foot of leeward slopes. After about 10 years the vegetation cover might be reach 30%. Since then if the straw was decayed,repair is no longer needed.After 10 years the water content in sand decreased to 1-2%.On the surface of sand,fine particles were accumulated and a layer of crust was formed.On the sand surface algae and mosses have grown naturally,forming biological crust.After rain,water permeated only within 1 m.The root systems of Hedysarum and Caragana went down deep into more than 4m.So the plants declined and the plant cover decre ased.The natural annual plants and subshrubs regenerated after rain, the natural plant cover may reach 30%,and altogether they formed artificial naturalvegetation complex. We have put forward the design and constructed the model of the railway protecting system,the main point of which is "putting fixation first and combining the fixation with the obstruction" .So that a fixation belt and an obstruction belt were to be constructed. The effect of this System is distinct.It is both feasible and effective. It may be extended as an advanced experience.The effect of obstructing sand drift is markable.In the process of sand-fixation the soil formation is developing and biological species is increased and now the station has become a base of international academic exchanges.