Zhongning

Zhongning County lies along the Yellow River in west-central Ningxia, administered by the prefecture-level city of Zhongwei, and is celebrated across China as the historic birthplace and 'hometown' of the goji berry (wolfberry), a crop first cultivated here more than 600 years ago. Its economy still revolves around this signature crop: tens of thousands of hectares of goji orchards support an industry whose comprehensive annual output value tops 13 billion yuan, ranging from fresh and dried berries to juices, wines and skincare products, alongside cultivation of the distinctive selenium-rich Xisha gravel-mulched watermelon. Higher education in the county is limited to vocational programs, and students who wish to attend university typically travel to nearby Zhongwei, Wuzhong or the regional capital Yinchuan. The county's best-known attractions include the Zhongning Goji Berry Expo Garden, which explains the crop's cultivation and medicinal use, and the dramatic gorges of Xiangshan Grand Canyon on its arid southern fringe. As a small but proud agricultural county on the ancient Silk Road route through Ningxia, Zhongning offers visitors an authentic look at Hui Muslim rural life alongside China's most famous superfood industry.