For years, the poorest corners of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region had to rely on outside aid just to get by. Then came a partnership with Fujian province that took a different approach: instead of handing out relief, it invested in infrastructure, industry, and — most importantly — a new mindset.
Today, villages that were once written off are running thriving tourism businesses, processing traditional herbs for national markets, and building modern farms that turn a profit.
Ten years ago, Longwangba village in Xiji county, Guyuan, Ningxia, ranked last among 295 administrative villages in Xiji county. Per capita annual income was just 2,300 yuan ($338.43). Today, it welcomes over 240,000 visitors a year, generates 21.6 million yuan in tourism revenue, and per capita income has grown 7.6-fold.
"Visiting Fujian opened our eyes," says Jiao Jianpeng, deputy Party secretary of the village. "I led the first exchange visit to Fujian a few years ago. We saw how a small glass factory had become a world-class company. It hit us: we can't just wait for handouts. We have to take the first step ourselves."
That mindset shift from "waiting for aid" to "making it happen" has been the real breakthrough.
Under the Fujian-Ningxia pairing program, the village has obtained over 10 million yuan in funds, which are used to pave roads, install water systems, and build kiln hotels, craft workshops, and cultural spaces. Barren hills were transformed into scenic spots. Last year, the village was named one of China's most beautiful leisure villages.
In Longde county, Guyuan, the same approach is delivering impressive results. With partnership funds, Qianjin village in Wenbao township has built a complete supply chain for Huangqi, or astragalus root, from seedling nurseries to processing and sales. The herbs now yield 3,600 yuan per mu (0.07 hectares), compared to 500 to 1,000 yuan for corn or wheat. The township now plants 3,000 mu of Huangqi, benefiting many low-income households through a cooperative model.
Villagers from Qianjin village remove weeds at the Huangqi planting base. [Photo/Ningxia Daily]
In Pengyang county of Guyuan, 12.9 million yuan in partnership funds turned abandoned buildings into 12 standardized poultry farms. About 2,500 households now participate in the project, each earning an average of over 2,000 yuan per year.
In Sanhe town of Haiyuan county, Zhongwei, 30.46 million yuan in funds upgraded 114 old greenhouses and built 151 new ones. Through a cooperation mechanism involving enterprises, village collectives, cooperatives, and farmers, the town's annual output now exceeds 10 million yuan.
Over the course of 30 years, Fujian has contributed 7.68 billion yuan to Ningxia across more than 4,100 projects. But the most valuable contribution, local officials say, has been the shift in mindset.
Good partnerships don't just offer handouts, they empower people to build their own futures.
This village, once deemed uninhabitable by the UN, now tells a different story — one of people who stopped waiting and started building, Jiao added.