Government efforts

Since wine started to be made in the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in the 1980s, Ningxia has burgeoned into a major domestic winemaking region, accounting for some 37 percent of China's capacity in the industry.

The region's wine-grape growing areas cover more than 35,000 hectares, one-third of such areas nationwide.

Moreover, Ningxia's wines have won more than 1,000 prizes in international competitions, including gold medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards, the world's largest wine competition.

Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said, "Ningxia has distinctive geographic and climatic conditions that enable it to develop specialty agricultural industries as well as emerging industries such as new energy.

"Thanks to a series of policy measures rolled out over the years, the region's specialty industries have expanded alongside domestic and international value chains in relevant sectors, increasing people's incomes."

Zhang, the Ningxia winery owner, said policies in Ningxia have focused on establishing a firm footing for high-quality and sustainable development of specialty industries.

For example, the region has established the Administrative Committee of the Grape Industry Zone of the Helan Mountain Eastern Foothills, China's first bureau-level government body to manage and propel development of the industry.

The committee formulates policies and technical standards to regulate imports of seedlings, the management of vineyards, wineries, winemaking and marketing, among others.