During a recent interview with domestic media, director Dong recalled that she toured to the town earlier this year to interview the locals.

She says Xihaigu — an area covering more than seven poverty-stricken towns in southern Ningxia — was one of the poorest areas in China.

Thanks to a program whereby Fujian province has offered assistance to Ningxia since 1996, Xihaigu has relocated 1.3 million people from Xihaigu to Minning and their annual income is now more than 20 times that what they earned before the relocation.