In the rural areas of Ningxia Hui autonomous region, success is defined by most people as the number of cisterns one owns. In the dry sandy area, as rain is the only source of water, the number of cisterns one has determines that person's social status in the village.

We drove more than 500 kilometers, from Yinchuan, the capital city of Ningxia, down to Xihaigu, the poorest area in the southern mountainous region. The area was listed as one of the most uninhabitable places by the United Nations in the 1970s. But for a visitor today, this place makes for a fascinating journey.

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Story: Peng Yinning

Photographs: Kuang Linhua

Producer: Flora Yue