Winery flows through town

Zheng Zifeng decided to build a winery resort town in Ningxia Hui autonomous region in 2020, as the area enjoys unique geographical for growing grapes and is well-known for its wine industry.

"The young generation has greatly changed their minds on consumption. They are willing to spend money for better service, especially those born after 2000. They are enthusiastic about the wine and open to try something new," said the CEO of the Ningxia Dulaan Winery.

The Dulaan Winery Town project is set to open to the public in July 2023 and will boost the integrated development of grape planting, wine brewing, and wine tourism, said Zheng.

Ningxia's wine industry has grown rapidly in the past decade with its unique geographical advantages. The region embraced its first winery in 1984 and today it has more than 200 that produce around 130 million bottles a year for an industry valued at 26.1 billion yuan ($3.84 billion).

Zheng, who studied architecture at Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology in 1998, the spent some time abroad in 2003, then again studied urban planning at the University of Newcastle, and then went on to get an MBA degree.