Land degradation is one of the long-term challenging eco-environmental problems and it was even worse at the agropastoral transitional region in China in the 1980s. Taking the Horqin Sandy Land as a case study of the agro-pastoral transitional region, Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences has made a series of achievements in the research on the mechanism of desertification-prone ecosystems, desertification monitoring, restoration techniques trial and demonstrations, and dissemination of in-depth research findings. It has been one of the leading research and data collection platforms in the research and observation of fragile ecosystems, particularly in academic research and technical development for combating desertification in China. The innovative models, represented with the Integrative Model for Combating Desertification and Promoting Development, have been widely adopted for restoration of desertification-prone land sand sustainable land management (SLM). Naiman Station was awarded by UNEP and UNDP for its success in saving the drylands. With this model, Naiman Station has successfully introduced more than 100 species of crops, vegetables, fruit trees, and grasses and developed related techniques for ecological conservation, local economic development, and improvement of livelihood of local people. The station has made a profound contribution to combating desertification in Horqin Sandy Land and in Northern China as a whole. Naiman Station will challenge the mounting issues of water scarcity caused by growing land use pressure and climate change, through carrying out continuous research in the mechanism of synergic succession of soil-plant subsystem. Based on the achievement of this valuable research, this station will develop more adaptive techniques and models for sustainable land management, and provide immediate scientific and technological supports to the ecological shelters and sustainable development in Northern China.