Residents in desert areas in northern China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region have shaken off poverty and embarked on much better-off lives, after desert tourism driven by innovation was brought in.

The Kubuqi Desert in Ordos, the seventh-largest in China with an area of 18,600 square kilometers, was once the source of frequent sandstorms hitting the country's northern areas.

The desert's harsh environment resulted in poverty for local residents, most of whom only lived on raising livestock.