The train rolled across a stretch of desolate, barely inhabited plain.
Tips
memory
人烟 literally 'human smoke' - the smoke rising from household stoves. 人烟稀少 = 'the chimney-smoke is sparse' = few people live here. A picturesque way to count settlement.
usage
Neutral-to-slightly-negative. Used descriptively for remote geography. Compare with 荒无人烟 (completely uninhabited, stronger).
