An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 11, 2026 shows a view of Minning Town in Yongning County of Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)

　　YINCHUAN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Located in the east of the Helan Mountains, Minning Town, named after the Chinese abbreviations of Fujian and Ningxia, stands as a living testament to China's poverty alleviation efforts, where a deserted land was turned into a new homeland for over 60,000 people.

　　In 1996, when the east-west poverty alleviation collaboration was carried out, southeast China's Fujian Province was designated to provide pairing assistance to northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. In 1997, construction began on Minning Village on barren land near Yinchuan, the regional capital. Later, officials from Fujian Province came here in batches to take part in the construction, along with assisting funds and projects. The cross-provincial effort transformed Minning into a modern town, with a population rising from some 8,000 to over 60,000, mainly living on growing wine grapes, mushrooms, and goji berries and raising cattle.

　　An aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 11, 2026 shows greenhouses in Yuanyi Village of Minning Town, Yongning County of Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)