<p>Tongliao, once an area dominated by sand and camels at the eastern edge of the Gobi Desert, has been transformed into grasslands with rows of poplar trees, forming the core of China’s expanding cattle industry. Over decades, the prefecture in Inner Mongolia converted arid land the size of Maryland into crops, grass, or forest, with northern China becoming wetter since the 1990s due to climate influences.</p><p>Today, Tongliao resembles beef-raising regions in Montana or Argentina’s Pampas, where grass and corn from reclaimed desert lands feed cows alongside farmed crops. China’s beef cattle herd has grown by about one-third since 2018 to nearly 90 million, including around four million in Tongliao, reflecting a significant agricultural shift.</p><p>Officials describe a reversal of desertification, noting retreating sand and expanding greenery. However, rainfall patterns have become more variable, and climate change is contributing to longer-term shifts in northern China’s hydrology and vegetation.</p><p>While heavy dependence on imports has declined as China seeks greater self-reliance, the country remains a major importer of beef, previously reliant on large producers abroad. It has taken steps to bolster domestic production, including breeding programs and quotas with tariffs to protect the domestic market from cheaper imports.</p><p>Beijing has encouraged crossbreeding of local cattle with larger, higher-quality breeds to improve meat yields, and has invested in feedlots and artificial insemination to enhance efficiency and output while monitoring livestock grazing and land use in the region.</p><p>Despite growth in domestic production and rising wholesale beef prices, some farmers remain wary of heavier imported breeds, and many households still raise small numbers of cattle. Efforts to consolidate herds into larger facilities aim to improve disease resistance, adaptation, and productivity, supported by government incentives for cattle fattened at feedlots that supply local slaughterhouses.</p><p>Overall, the Tongliao transformation contributes to higher living standards in the region through expanded agriculture, livestock farming, and related industries, including wind turbine manufacturing that supports electricity needs in southern cities.</p>
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