No longer shifting, Shapotou's sands bring tourists to the desert

YINCHUAN — An endless expanse of the Tengger Desert, China's fourth-largest, abuts Shapotou district in Zhongwei city, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, stretching as far as the eye can see. For many years, Tang Mingxi's relatives fought to keep these sand dunes, which used to draw closer by four to five meters every year, at bay.

In 1958, China's first desert railway, the Baotou-Lanzhou Railway, was inaugurated. To guarantee its safety, anti-desertification efforts poured into Shapotou, 60-year-old Tang's hometown. Thanks to innovative approaches like the use of straw checkerboard barriers, and other afforestation measures, the desert has been pushed back by a significant 25 kilometers, a historic triumph in human efforts over encroaching sands.

Tang returned to Shapotou after graduating from college and started a career in desert control. Today, he is a senior forestry engineer, and has been part of treating 730,000 mu (about 48,670 hectares) of desert. As a child, he saw a deadly sandstorm take the lives of his classmates, but now the vast sands have turned from enemy into friend.

Zhongwei's success at desert control led many people from Africa, who also suffer from encroaching deserts, to visit to borrow from the experience. Other visitors at the time included Western backpackers enticed by the mysterious deserts of the ancient Silk Road.

In 1987, Tao Neng was assigned to Zhongwei's foreign affairs and tourism bureau. "There were few domestic tourists then, so the tourism bureau was established for overseas tourists," the 62-year-old says, adding that he received six months' language training in Beijing to be able to communicate better.

The experience of taking a group of Hong Kong students through the desert completely reshaped his perspective of his job. It was May, and in the company of a seasoned tour guide, the team took camels deep into the heart of the sandy expanse. At around 8 pm, as the evening shadows were stretching across the dunes, an unexpected sandstorm blew away most of the tents, leaving the group of 10 to seek shelter in the two that remained.

"I remember thinking that they were bound to complain," Tao says. To his surprise, after he took the visitors to a bathhouse to wash the following day, they insisted on treating him to a meal, as they felt the sandstorm had been an unforgettable adventure that he had shared with them, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Ever since, Tao has kept a journal ready for visitors to note impressions of their desert journeys. The imaginative insights they have left is a wellspring of inspiration for him.

In 2004, Tao was transferred to the Shapotou scenic area.

After visiting a number of popular desert destinations in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Gansu province, and several Middle Eastern countries, he introduced a variety of activities, including dune surfing and zip-lining above the Yellow River, and also introduced catering services.

In 2007, the area was designated a national 5A-level scenic spot, and attracted nearly 600,000 visitors that year. In 2023, it received more than 1.27 million visitors, and in the first half of this year, the figure approached 600,000, an increase of 10 percent compared to the same period last year.

Liu Shengjun, a 60-year-old from Jiadao village, started his tourism venture in 2010, borrowing over 10,000 yuan ($1,403) to purchase six camels. "I made 100,000 yuan that year," he says, adding that during peak season, he leads camel rides about nine times a day.

"In the past, when the sandstorms were frequent, we couldn't even eat our meals outside. Now, the environment has improved and there are more tourists. I feel lucky to have been born in Zhongwei, and I'm happy," he says.

More services and facilities targeting the young generation are being promoted. This year, a glamping site with 1,000 well-appointed tents opened, coupled with art, music and gourmet festivals.

"Seeing the children revel in the sand … brings us joy. The tranquillity of the desert offers an escape from the hustle and bustle," says Yang Sha, a 39-year-old visitor from Sichuan province.