China's first "Mars Village" will be located in the Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China's Qinghai Province, according to the Science and Application Center for Moon and Deep Space Exploration (SACMDE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The selected location is expected to serve as a field site to simulate scientific experiments. Due to the local landscape, which lacks vegetation, it shares a range of similarities with the surface of Mars.

The landscape of the Qaidam Basin has similarities with the one of Mars. /VCG Photo

The Haixi prefecture has a desert area covering 9.5 million square kilometers as well as the largest Yardang landform group in China. The geological features are "particularly similar to the ones of Mars," said Liu Xiaoqun, director of SACMDE.

In his opinion, the "Mars Village" could be developed into a tourist site, which is integral in promoting scientific research and education about the planet. 

Meanwhile, as a unique cultural site, the "Mars Village" could also be considered as another sustainable growth point for Qinghai's economic development, as well as its tourism industry.