Ningxia making wine a green endeavor

Located at the intersection of the Yellow River and the sand control belts in northwestern China, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region－an oasis embedded in the vast Gobi Desert－has combined the development of its booming wine industry with the sustainability of the Yellow River floodplain and environmental restoration.

The eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia are renowned across the world as a golden production zone for wine. The industry started in 1984 and the region was designated as a national geographical indication protection reserve in 2003, with a total area of 200,000 hectares involving 12 cities and county-level regions.

The cultivation of wine grapes in Ningxia has turned 350,000 mu, or 23,310 hectares, of mountain wasteland into oasis, greatly increasing the vegetation coverage in the production area.