With help, harsh climate yielding high-quality grapes, Sun Ye reports.

Scant rainfall, soil strewn with rocks, cold hard winters and limited yields - that's the weather is like at the base of Helan Mountains near Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

"It looks like the least promising conditions to grow any plant," said Cao Kailong, the head of the region's bureau for the grape and flower industries.