The Ningxia section of the Yellow River boasts a premium ecological environment. [Photo/WeChat account: zwrb]
In recent years, Ningxia has been making efforts to drive high-quality development while protecting its ecological environment.
Key initiatives include meticulous river care, mountain ecological restoration, and efforts to reduce carbon emissions and pollution while increasing greenery.
Since 2021, Ningxia has enacted reforms in six key areas: water, land, forest, pollution discharge, energy use, and carbon emission. These market-driven reforms aim to improve resource allocation and ecological protection.
By the end of 2024, high-efficiency water-saving irrigation covered 54.6 percent of the region, and industrial water reuse reached 97.6 percent.
Authorities have also used Ningxia's unique advantages to foster new development strengths. Once deemed unsuitable for agriculture, the Gobi Desert at the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain has become China's largest contiguous wine grape growing region, spanning over 600,000 mu (40,000 hectares) and producing 140 million bottles of wine annually.
A vineyard at the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia. [Photo/WeChat account: zwrb]
In the first three quarters of 2024, wine sales from this area reached 910 million yuan ($124.16 million), a 4.8 percent year-on-year increase, with significant export growth.
Additionally, Ningxia is working towards becoming the "Computing Power Capital of China" and the "New Silicon Valley of China". In the first three quarters of 2024, Ningxia's GDP increased by 4.9 percent compared to the same period last year, with industrial added value for enterprises above a designated size rising by 10.1 percent.
Rural development has significantly improved, with over 1,700 projects initiated by November and investments exceeding 13 billion yuan. Rural residents' per capita disposable income reached 12,167 yuan, a 7 percent year-on-year increase.
The Huinong section of the Baotou-Yinchuan High-Speed Railway opened on Oct 1, 2024, further connecting Ningxia with the rest of the country and enhancing its accessibility.
The Huinong section of the Baotou-Yinchuan High-Speed Railway opens on Oct 1, 2024. [Photo/WeChat account: zwrb]