30 years of bridges across thousands of kilometres: how Fujian and Ningxia turned arid land into a smart oasis
53 companies, 1 billion yuan in revenue, robots for power line inspection and tomatoes under drip irrigation — cooperation between the eastern coast and the arid west has grown from one‑way aid to shared growth. Ningxia authorities attracted investment, while Fujian technologies found new ground.
As reported by CCTV+, for three decades, China's coastal Fujian Province has been cooperating with the landlocked, drought‑prone Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region across various sectors. Today, smart agriculture and proprietary grid technologies take the lead. This partnership has drawn numerous companies from eastern China to Ningxia, spurring local development and creating jobs. At the smart agriculture industrial park in Minning — a jointly built Fujian‑Ningxia industrial park that has attracted 53 companies and generated over 1 billion yuan in revenue — tomatoes are grown year‑round under intelligent management. A smart drip‑irrigation system delivers nutrients directly to plant roots when light, temperature and humidity reach optimal levels. Roof vents open and close automatically, and rainwater is collected and recycled, cutting waste. The company chose Ningxia for its abundant sunshine, favourable policies and government support. Zhang Xulong, manager of the agricultural park, said: "Ningxia has a favourable natural environment with abundant sunlight and good temperature‑sunlight synchronisation. Local authorities provide significant support, offering substantial discounts on land use and natural gas prices."
The smart farming project is just one example of Fujian‑Ningxia industrial cooperation. The regional partnership, gradually shifting from one‑way aid to joint growth, is also helping local Ningxia firms expand across China. In power transmission, local company Huahe Technology has carved out a niche. It produces integrated protective insulation devices that prevent bird‑related damage, ice buildup and strong winds — common causes of line failures. The company also developed a drone‑launched insulator inspection robot, eliminating the need for crews to climb high‑voltage towers. Huahe Technology itself is a product of the Fujian‑Ningxia partnership: its brand belongs to a Fujian firm, while R&D and production are centred in Ningxia, reflecting the integration of eastern capital and western resources. Yang Jianhua, production director, noted: "Our devices and robots are used in high‑voltage line maintenance across China. We work with companies in the northwest, northeast and east. A robotic anti‑icing fluid spraying project in Handan, Hebei, has shown good results."
The Fujian‑Ningxia cooperation programme began in 1996 as part of the national strategy to aid western regions. Over three decades, it has evolved from donor aid into a model of mutual benefit. Minning city symbolises this cooperation — its name combines the first characters of Fujian (Min) and Ningxia (Ning). The insulator inspection robot is an example of eastern technology merging with western manufacturing. The tomatoes from Minning's greenhouses are not just vegetables; they are symbols of how technology can transform even arid lands.
The distance between Fujian and Ningxia is nearly two thousand kilometres. But over three decades, those kilometres have become a bridge. When eastern capital meets western resources, when smart greenhouses rise on land that once knew only drought, and robots check power lines instead of people — more than cooperation is born. A model is born, where aid becomes partnership, and remote regions cease to be "peripheries." And when a Minning tomato reaches a table in Shanghai or Beijing, it reminds us: even the driest land can yield a harvest, if there is someone to reach out a hand.
