Top officials of the Muslim-dominated Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in Northwest China say they will speed up urban improvements to bring additional farmers into urban areas to upgrade their standard of living.

Since it has proved increasingly difficult to modernize arid mountainous areas, officials have concentrated on modernizing cities as a more practical way to help additional people enjoy better lives, the region's top official Chen Jianguo said in an interview with a group of Beijing-based reporters.

It is also logical since Ningxia is divided into two distinct parts.

The northern area, with the capital city of Yinchuan at its centre, is dominated by plains, rivers and lakes. The environment there is very suitable for the human subsistence and development.

However, the southern area of Ningxia is mainly arid mountains and highlands, where more than 1 million local residents are living in poverty because of lack of water and harsh natural terrain.

"We are pouring more investment into building infrastructure in Yinchuan as well as the four major cities of Shizuishan, Wuzhong, Guyuan and Zhongwei to expand the cities' size to comprise more of our farming population,'' Chen explained.

In the first half of the year, 170,000 farmers have responded to the plan, becoming urban residents.

Some pillar industries must be developed to support the urbanization activities, such as creating jobs and stimulating local economic growth, said Ma Qizhi, chairman of the region's government.

Ningxia is relying on rich energy resources to develop the region into one of the largest energy bases in Northwest China, Ma said.

Located in the upper reaches of the country's major waterway, the Yellow River, the region has rich water resources. With a total reserve of 31 billion tons of high-quality coal, the area is now able to produce 18 million tons of that energy source each year.

"The development potential of the power industry in the region is very big,'' said Ma, noting that the region holds an installed capacity of 3.02 million kilowatts. Such capacity will be expanded to 20 million kilowatts in Ningxia' long-term development programme, Ma said.

The rich reserves of oil, natural gas and such metals as aluminum and magnesium in the region have also provided favourable conditions for developing petrochemical and coal-based chemistry industries as well as a flourishing raw materials base.

Ma said the local government plans to nearly quadruple the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020, which is about US$800 now.

For the development of agriculture and ranching, which enjoys historical tradition in Ningxia, Ma said that beef, mutton, wine, dairy products, rice and some Chinese traditional medicine herbs will enjoy development priorities.

The development of tourism in the region enjoys special advantages, according to Ma.

The region is dominated by Muslim traditions and the culture of the mysterious Xixia Kingdom.

About one third of 5.7 million residents in the region are Muslim and mosques in various styles can be viewed everywhere, from cities to villages in mountainous areas.

The Xixia Kingdom, established by Li Yuanhao in 1038, lasted for 190 years and was destroyed by Mongolian soldiers.

Ten emperors ruled over the kingdom and established official systems within it.

Cultural relics left by the kingdoms include rock paintings on Helan Mountain and imperial tombs of the Xixia emperors.

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