The monumental buildings in the Kangbashi district in Ordos City, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, are nothing short on impressive.

Some had called it a "ghost town", but the district is an attempt by the city to reshape itself.

Ordos lies on the Ordos Plateau along the Yellow River. The region, known as Hetao in Mandarin, is modernizing its development model, bringing a modern touch to its traditional agrarian and nomadic culture.

With one of the highest GDP per capita in China, the city is prospering thanks to its rich natural resources,

Its economy has long been dominated by sheep herding, coal mining, and rare earth and natural gas exploitation. And the richness of the city's natural resources is only paralleled by its cultural wealth.

But Ordos is trying to find a more sustainable way of development, so it turned to cultural industry and tourism.

"We have invited modern designers to work with our traditional craftsmen to incorporate more modern design to our cultural products. Many of the craftsmen have already had their own workshops and stores, and no longer need the government's support," said Ding Guiliang of the Ordos Public Cultural Art Center.

"We are also building an e-commerce platform for them. So that their products can have a wider market," Ding added.

At a cultural exhibition, leather carving studio Na Shi Ci unveiled a long piece of carved leather depicting scenes along the Belt and Road.

The founder of the studio, Liu Zao, told CGTN that the name of her studio comes from the transliteration of the Mongolian word for cattle leather.

Carved leather used to decorate the purses and satchels of traders traversing the ancient Silk Road. But Liu thinks the art should not remain in museums.

"So we are also making everyday items such as purses and handbags. I don't think we should lock our cultural heritage up in museums. Bringing them back to everyday use is the best way to preserve them," said Liu.

"However, we are still only occupying a niche market," Liu added, "I hope through the Belt and Road Initiative our products can access a larger market."