City turns desert into gold mine

YINCHUAN — As a child, Wang Li thought of the desert as a nuisance.

"When sandstorms came, dust would fill the air, making it difficult for me to breathe, and trash and tree branches would fly into the sky," she said.

Little did the 34-year-old know that one day, after she had moved away, she would return to her hometown of Zhongwei in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region to work in that same desert.

Located on the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert, Zhongwei used to be severely affected by sandstorms. The sand once expanded to just 5 kilometers from the city, invading farmlands and burying irrigation canals.

To ensure the safe operation of the Baotou-Lanzhou Railway, China's first desert railway, the people of Zhongwei began to combat desertification in the 1950s by making straw checkerboards to contain the sand.

Thanks to their innovative approach to afforestation, the Tengger Desert has been pushed back by 25 km, ensuring the stable operation of the railway.

As the threat of the desert gradually receded, Zhongwei began to explore ways to transition from sand control to sand utilization.

The Shapotou scenic area, named after its sand dunes that once towered more than 100 meters, is a place where desert, mountain and oasis landscapes converge with the Yellow River. It now offers tourist activities such as sand surfing and desert racing, providing locals and tourists alike with unique experiences.

In 2012, after earning a degree in hotel management, Wang worked in the regional capital of Yinchuan before returning to Zhongwei. She then worked in Shapotou as a tour guide. She tells tourists stories of Zhongwei's desert control efforts and helps them immerse themselves in the joys of sand. She has also witnessed how the desert economy has been injecting impetus into the high-quality development of the city. "As I learned more about the desert, my love for it deepened," she said.

As the city's tourism industry transitions from catering to sightseeing tourists to welcoming holidaymakers, it has developed a host of immersive vacation products, such as stargazing-themed desert hotels.

"The boom in desert tourism has also given rise to new professions such as desert barista, stargazing guide and desert DJ, driving local employment and income growth for young people. To date, 70,000 people in Zhongwei have benefited financially from the tourism boom," said Lyu Yongjun, director of Zhongwei's tourism, culture, sports, broadcasting and TV bureau.

As of Oct 7, Zhongwei had handled over 17 million tourist visits this year, with total tourist expenditure exceeding 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion).