Hulunbuir Prairie is widely seen as China's most well-preserved grassland. With more than 120 kinds of pastures, it holds the name the "purest prairie". And it got that name thanks to ongoing preventive efforts against destruction. CGTN reporter Feng Yilei has the story.

Waves of green fields against the crystal blue sky-Hulunbuir Prairie is a vast jade land with some of China's lushest plants. But for herdsmen, the grass kingdom does not only mean boundless scenic beauty, but how they make their living. 46-year-old Badema knows all too well how drought and overgrazing once ruined pastures and her earnings. Now she works on a cooperative farm with thirty other households. And things are getting better under collective management of grazing intensity, and rotational grazing.

ALATANBAGEN, CHAIRMAN TAGANA HUSBANDRY DEVELOPMENT "Our cooperative production mode enhances people's awareness of environmental protection and sustainable grazing. It prevents the destruction of meadows while improving the quality of mutton. So herdsmen's incomes grow while the amount of stocks is restrained."

Herding is not the only industry that is closely bound to this fertile land. Late in the 20th century, Hulunbuir Prairie saw a boom in open-pit mining. Thousands of small coal mines left countless scars on the surface of the grasslands, as Inner Mongolia gradually grew into China's biggest coal producer. It became the darkest time for the greenery of the region.

CHEN YINGJUN, LOCAL BAORIXILE TOWN, OLD BARAG BANNER "Our town was established for mine development. But low-productivity small coal mines were shut down by 2004. Most of them have switched to other businesses."

Apart from that, authorities have committed to pasture upgrading, desertification prevention and the construction of a nature reservation. That has cleared away some of the bare land while making new development paths.

FENG YILEI OLD BARAG BANNER "In the past decade, the fame of the Hulunbuir Prairie has spread much wider across the world with improved air and road transportation. But as a rising number of tourists come in, bringing tourist money but also wheel furrows and garbage, it has also put new pressure on grassland protection."

Old Barag Banner situated in the heartland of the great prairie has launched what they call a Battle for the Morigele River to keep touring vehicles and illegal building away from their gorgeous landmark. Public construction has also been set up to deal with increasing food waste and domestic sewage.

YANG AIJUN, DEPUTY MAYOR OLD BARAG BANNER "Spatial planning draws a clear line between what to exploit and what to protect. Based on that, there should be detailed categorization for each industry, laying out how to develop in a way that matches with our local features. We now have a grass industry cluster whereby stock farming and technological studies grow together, which raises both our profile and income."

It is a universally critical issue for the fast-growing country— how to achieve a balance between environment and growth. And Hulunbuir people choose to safeguard China's ecological barrier in the North and exploit the green gold mine. Feng Yilei, CGTN, Old Barag Banner in Inner Mongolia.