"Delivering lambs in winter can make more money and save grass, but we need to build warming shelters and store more grass," said Batu. "The old habit of feeding sheep just depending on nature must be changed."

Extended industrial chain

Besides traditional animal husbandry and agriculture, people in Inner Mongolia are seeking ways to upgrade their primary industries. In order to do so, they have chosen to rely on the intensive processing of livestock and agricultural products. Among the 16 famous brands from Inner Mongolia, 13 are from processing of livestock and agricultural products, according to figures from the Bureau of Statistics of Inner Mongolia.

With nearly 56 million sheep, Inner Mongolia is home to some famous cashmere producers such as the Erdos Group from Ordos City. According to Yang Zhiyuan, Vice President of Erdos, the group's annual output of sweaters has reached 10 million. Of these, 4 million are exported. Erdos controls 40 percent of the cashmere sweater market in China and 30 percent in the world.

Located in the Hetao Plain along the Yellow River, Baynnur City is famous for its agriculture. Hetao Liquor has become the largest distilling base in north China for liquor, producing 80,000 tons every year from its 3,422 cellars. Hetao Flour is also a well-known brand from the area.

Throughout the Chinese mainland, people can find a hot pot chain restaurant named Little Sheep. Using mutton of the highest quality grown in the grassland in Inner Mongolia, its unique flavor has attracted millions of customers. It is not only famous on the mainland, it has also made its way into Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, the United States, Japan and Canada.

Modern industry

When the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, Baotou was positioned by the state as an important industrial city in north China. Now, the Baotou Iron and Steel (Group) Co. Ltd. has become an important iron and steel production base and the largest rare earth industrial base in China. According to Huercha, Mayor of Baotou, the deposit of rare earth in Baotou amounts to about 100 million tons, or 62 percent of the world's total and 87 percent of the country's total.

Inner Mongolia has a total of 223.9 billion tons of coal reserves, ranking second in China. Of the total coal reserves, 149.6 billion tons are in Ordos, where wealth is rolling in. However, the city used to see too many small coalmines, most of which only had an annual output of less than 100,000 tons. Since 1998, the city has closed and reorganized small coalmines, reducing the number of coalmines from 1,900 to 276 by 2006. In Shangwan Coalmine of the China Shenhua Shengdong Coal Branch, the 11.44 million tons of output created a new world record in 2006, yet the number of workers directly engaged in mining is only less than 50. Modernized production and transportation leave no trace of coal on the ground for people to see in the mining area.

The abundant coal resources have brought a large electricity generation capacity to the autonomous region. According to Chu Bo, Secretary of the Inner Mongolia Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China, every year the autonomous region supplies more than 10 million kw of electricity with preferential prices, reducing the cost of electricity in Beijing by 20 billion yuan. Besides thermal power, Inner Mongolia also has huge potential for wind power, with the capacity now accounting for one third of the country's total. For example, Huitengxile Wind Power Plant in Ulan Qab City is the largest wind power plant in the country, with a total installed capacity of 68,500 kw.