Desert economy boosts high-quality development of cities in northwest China

Wang Li, who is from northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, thought of the desert as a nuisance when she was a child.

"At the time, I really disliked the desert," said Wang, a 34-year-old native of the city of Zhongwei, where part of the Tengger Desert, China's fourth-largest desert, is located.

"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 still remembers.

Little did Wang know that one day, after she had moved away, she would return to her hometown to work in the desert.

Located on the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert, Zhongwei used to be among China's areas most severely affected by sandstorms. The desert once expanded to just 5 km from the city, causing farmlands to be invaded by sand and irrigation canals to be buried.

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

Thanks to their innovative approach to afforestation, the Tengger Desert has been pushed back by 25 km, marking a historic shift. This achievement has ensured the stable operations of the railway to the present day.

As the threat of the desert was gradually removed, Zhongwei began to explore ways to transition from sand control to sand utilization in its development.

The Shapotou scenic area, named after its sand dunes that once towered more than 100 meters in height, is a place where desert, the Yellow River, mountain and oasis landscapes converge. The national 5A-level scenic area, which is the highest level for tourist attractions in China, 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 city of Yinchuan before returning to Zhongwei. She then joined Shapotou as a tour guide.

Over the past 12 years, Wang has continued working in the scenic area. 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.

By Oct. 7, Zhongwei had handled over 17 million tourist visits this year, with the total tourist expenditure exceeding 10 billion yuan (about 1.39 billion U.S. dollars).

"In the past, people used to feel anxious when talking about the desert. But now, the desert has become a desirable destination for many, turning into our golden bank," Wang said.

The city has also improved the efficiency of its integrated utilization of various resources, including land and solar energy. And it has successfully coordinated the development of photovoltaic power generation and ecological restoration.

Zhongwei is not alone in promoting the development of the clean energy industry by utilizing the advantages of the desert in northwest China.

The city of Wuwei in Gansu Province, located near the Tengger Desert, was once plagued by sand hazards. After seeing success in its sand control work, the local government seized the advantages of long sunshine hours and abundant solar energy resources to develop a localized photovoltaic industry.

In October 2021, Wuwei implemented a 500,000-kilowatt photovoltaic demonstration project in the desert. Generating power above and controlling desertification below, the project has multiple, simultaneous uses.

"We have made technological innovations in traditional photovoltaic power generation, extending the span of photovoltaic panels to 33 meters and increasing the height to 4 meters. By using double-sided photovoltaic panels, power generation efficiency has increased by 8 percent to 15 percent," said Yin Heping, who works at Elion Resources Group, a leading green industry enterprise in China.

Li Zhenhai, deputy director of the development and reform commission of Wuwei, said that each year, the project can save 270,000 tonnes of standard coal, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 710,000 tonnes, and treat over 1,333 hectares of desertified land.