Yuan Yuan, 26, is the youngest chateau owner in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. She took over the wine business from her father three years ago, after graduating from university. In her words, the wine industry belongs to the young generation.

“My father handed the chateau over to me because he believes that the wine industry belongs to young people and I can bring some vigor to our company,” she grinned.

Her chateau, Zhihuiyuanshi, is located in suburban Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia. It was built 10 years ago by her father and now produces more than 100,000 bottles of wine a year.

Young and vigorous, Yuan Yuan is part of the wine industry in Ningxia that has flourished after a decade of fast development.

Now there are 86 established chateaus, and more than a hundred are under construction. The region's total grape planting area is now up to 380 square kilometers, acting as the largest in China.

Thanks to their outstanding quality, wines produced here have won more than 500 awards at home and abroad. But it's not just the ideal geography helping the industry thrive, the local government has also offered great support.

In 2011, Ningxia became the first region in China to set up a government bureau for wine industry development. It also launched the nation's first protective regulations for wine production areas, legally supporting the development of the wine industry in the region.

Zhao Shihua, a researcher at the Ningxia Wine Industry Development Bureau, said, “The government office was set up to promote development of the wine industry. It protects the environment to ensure the quality of the grapes and regulates the construction of chateaus. And also it supervises wine production and ensures good quality.”

Now Ningxia's wine industry produces 120 million bottles of wine per year, valued at around 20 billion yuan (2.9 billion US dollars). The industry has created over 100,000 jobs, helping many nearby villagers to shake off poverty.