Ningxia region – a timeline

1982 Changyu, Great Wall and Dynasty establish vineyards in the region, shipping the grapes out from Ningxia to be vinified elsewhere

1985 First winery opens

1996 Chinese premier Li Peng toasted his Five-Year Plan with red wine and emphasised its benefits for health and ‘social ethics’. This ushered in an initiative to promote Ningxia as a significant wine region

2011 Opening of Ningxia University Wine College (above). In the same year Château Helan Qingxue wins DWWA International Trophy

2012 Establishment of Ningxia Wine Bureau, the first provincial wine authority in China. Ningxia also joins the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) as an observer

2013 Ningxia launches a classification system for its wines, with five levels (like Bordeaux’s 1855 ranking). There are currently 36 classified wineries (no second or first growths yet)

2015 Committee formed in Helan Mountain East to oversee planning and construction of wineries

2016 Chinese premier Xi Jinping visits the region and speaks of the huge market potential of the wine industry

2020 Plans for 1 million mu of vines planted (equivalent to 67,000ha). To put this in context, there were 570,000ha of vines planted across China in 2014