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.
Huang Siming, director of the management committee of the wine industry park at the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain, said that respecting the law of nature is key to the winemaking industry and ecological improvement. “Climate, soil, precipitation and other natural conditions constitute the terroir of the producing area. A bottle of wine with a good terroir is a good bottle of wine,” Huang said.
Huang said unique terroir is the foundation of the brand’s confidence. “Planting wine grapes not only helps local people overcome poverty and earn higher incomes, but also demonstrates the belief that ‘lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets’.”
Yuanshi Vineyard, founded by Yuan Hui, chairman of Ningxia Zhihui Industrial Group, was among the first batch of wineries transformed from sand and gravel fields in the 1990s.
He said the cultivation of wine grapes requires sandy soil and gravel, which are suitable for planting in the foothills of Helan Mountain.
“The local wine grape planting adopts a unique method of burying the soil. The development of vineyards and the construction of shelter forests have greatly improved the forest coverage rate,” he said.
In 1996, the company began to plant trees close to Helan Mountain to restore the deserted riverbank. In 2008, it joined the wine industry, developing vineyards on deserted riverbanks as well as planning and building wineries on abandoned mine fields.
In 2015, Yuanshi Vineyard worked with China Agricultural University on scientific planting and precision winemaking. In 2016, it invested in the construction of the Helan Mountain Sports and Leisure Park in an abandoned mining area, covering an area of 80 hectares to create a comprehensive park integrating eco-tourism, sports, leisure and scientific research.
For more than 10 years, the company has preserved 1,200 hectares of deserted riverbanks at the foothills of Helan Mountain, restored 400 hectares of abandoned mining areas and planted 533 hectares of forests, 133 hectares of wine grapes and 66.67 hectares of fruit forests.
Hao Linhai, chairman of the International Federation of Vine and Wine of Helan Mountain Eastern Foothills, said the Ningxia wine industry should follow the laws of nature.
The common philosophy of the wine industry and ecological construction is to respect nature, Hao said.
“The wine industry is an industry that can thrive only by respecting the natural terroir, and it has a very deep connotation. Abundance can be combined with the management of desert and mines, ecological protection and desertification control, because what they have in common is respect for the laws of nature.”
Hao added that the integration of the wine industry with ecological protection is evident in Ningxia.
“We have 36,667 hectares of land to grow grapes, without using an inch of arable land or encroaching on the protected area of Helan Mountain. By planting grapes on the Gobi Desert at the foothills of Helan Mountain, the green vines have formed an artificial green barrier with insects, birds, moss and ecosystems. Many vineyards are planted above mines and in sandpits.”
In April 2022, the State Council approved the Implementation Plan for Supporting Ningxia’s Construction of a Pioneering Area for Ecological Protection and High-Quality Development in the Yellow River Basin. Supporting Ningxia’s construction of a pioneering area has not only clarified the direction and path for the region to shoulder its responsibilities in the new era, but also provided practices for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin, which is of great significance and has promising prospects.