Fujian-Ningxia Partnership Deepens Aquaculture Cooperation for Shared Prosperity

One stroke of the Yellow River’s upper‑reach “zig‑zag bend” gave rise to the well‑known saying “The Yellow River blesses Ningxia with prosperity”. However, for Chen Qifa, who was born on Fujian’s coast and assigned to Ningxia’s fisheries system upon graduating from university in the 1960s, apart from the dry climate, the most difficult thing to adapt to in this inland region of northwest China was the lack of access to fish.

Today, Ningxia’s saline‑alkali water “seafood” boasts an annual output of 2,063 tonnes, an average per‑mu aquaculture yield of 540 kilograms, and its aquatic fry account for 42 percent of northwest China’s total. It has grown into a major fishery production base with the richest variety of aquatic products among the five northwestern provincial‑level administrative regions, accomplishing a historic leap from “hardly getting any fish to eat” to “picking and choosing among fish”.

This transformation traces back to the 1990s. The Fujian‑Ningxia Cooperation Initiative, personally initiated and cared for by Comrade Xi Jinping, then Deputy Secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee, has seen continuous institutional innovation and expanding scope over nearly 30 years. Drawing on inland saline‑alkali water to simulate seawater environments, the two regions pioneered “land‑based marine fish farming” in northwest China. One single fish helped drive an entire industrial chain, gradually blazing a new path for fisheries development under Fujian‑Ningxia cooperation that advances fishery production, local ecosystems and farmers’ livelihoods in tandem.

### Technology Exchange: Aquatic Technology Shared Across Thousands of Miles

Chen Qifa never got to witness the era of “picking and choosing among fish” during his time in Ningxia. After more than 20 years working for Ningxia’s fisheries sector, he was transferred back to the former Fujian Provincial Department of Aquatic Products, yet continued to follow Ningxia’s fisheries development. “In the early 1980s, Fujian’s eel industry was just taking off and later became a star export‑earning product,” Chen Qifa recalled. “Eel farming shifted from Japan to Fujian, but foreign parties controlled the technology for block‑shaped feed binders used in large‑scale farming, holding us back in this respect. The problem was finally solved using potato starch from Ningxia.”

In 1996, Fujian launched paired‑assistance work for Ningxia. With Comrade Xi Jinping, then Deputy Secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee, serving as group leader, the Fujian Provincial Leading Group for Pairing‑Assistance to Ningxia was formally established, marking the entry of Fujian‑Ningxia cooperation into a regularized, institutionalized phase. Under this assistance programme, Fujian supported Xiji County in processing potatoes into industrial‑grade alpha‑starch for use as binders in eel feed. This single measure raised local residents’ per‑capita income by 400 yuan.

It was through this practical example of Fujian‑Ningxia cooperation that Chen Qifa found the answer to a question that had puzzled him for years: “Why did Ningxia potatoes help Fujian resolve its eel‑feed challenge?” Today, the industrial‑scale production technology of using potato starch as a binder for eel feed has broken foreign technological monopolies. The innovation remains in wide use and brings extensive benefits to the public.

Potatoes travelled from Ningxia to Fujian, resolving bottlenecks for Fujian’s eel industry while boosting local farmers’ income in Ningxia. This laid the foundation for fisheries cooperation between the two provinces and opened up new avenues for collaboration. Guided by the principles of “complementary advantages, mutual benefit, long‑term collaboration and common development”, the two sides kept exploring deeper and broader fields of cooperation.

At the drainage terminals of the Yellow River irrigation area in northern Ningxia, low rainfall and strong evaporation have formed more than 2.5 million mu of saline‑alkali land. To unlock this “dormant resource”, local people dug ponds on saline‑alkali terrain for aquaculture.

“When we first started farming prawns, technical hurdles piled up one after another in water‑quality control, temperature regulation and disease prevention. Every pond stock died off, and we were at our wits’ end!” Around 2000, Ningxia fish farmers still relied on the traditional method of earthen ponds, while shrimp farmers in Fujian were already applying mature herringbone‑shaped greenhouse technology.

To break through Ningxia’s aquaculture bottlenecks, Fujian brought in technologies and equipment. Open‑air shrimp ponds were turned into facility‑based “farming workshops”. Recirculating water treatment, heating and oxygen‑aeration — terms once unfamiliar in Ningxia — gradually became everyday practice for local fisheries workers. By 2014, Ningxia’s output of whiteleg shrimp ranked first in northwest China, firmly establishing local “seafood” production.

During the 13th Five‑Year Plan period, Fujian and Ningxia jointly implemented the project “Integrated Demonstration and Promotion of Healthy Aquaculture Technologies for Multi‑type Water Bodies”, building a saline‑alkali water aquaculture technical system covering diverse water qualities, species and production modes. Under the 14th Five‑Year Plan, comprehensive utilisation of saline‑alkali land and water has deepened, with greater emphasis on selective breeding, demonstration and extension of saline‑alkali‑tolerant aquaculture species as well as core‑technology research.

Ningxia has now become northwest China’s largest aquatic‑product distribution hub, farming 51 aquatic species, with 80 percent of its produce sold across the country. Some officials posted to Ningxia from Xizang could not help marvelling: “Much of the seafood we ate on the high‑plateau came from Ningxia!”

Over 30 years, resources and expertise have flowed back and forth between Ningxia and Fujian. The partnership has evolved from one‑sided aid to two‑way mutual engagement, from technology import to joint industrial development. Fujian‑Ningxia cooperation has continuously achieved breakthroughs in resource utilisation, advanced institutionalized mechanisms, and pioneered a large‑scale, modern fisheries‑development model for northwest China.

### Industrial Renewal: Live Seafood Harvested from Saline‑Alkali Water

“What’s the future? It’s what hasn’t come yet! And who knows when it will arrive!” If Ma Hanshui, a character from the TV drama Minning Town, stepped into real life, he would surely marvel at how Ningxia’s once “white wilderness” of saline‑alkali flats has been transformed into “vast blue waters”.

“This used to be barren saline‑alkali beachland. Now the government has built roads, power supplies and communications, creating excellent conditions for enterprises,” said Deng Bihao, a post‑90s entrepreneur who was among the first to settle in the Sandinghu Fishery Park in Helan County, Yinchuan, managing ten thousand mu of high‑standard crab ponds. Originally engaged in the catering business, he explained his entry into aquaculture: “Local residents barely ate fish at one time. Then they began to eat freshwater fish. Now people even demand marine fish at banquets. Catering consumption habits have undergone profound changes.”

“Before the crabs moulted, we ourselves got badly sun‑burnt.” Recalling his first foray into crab farming, Deng Bihao had not expected such a harsh early setback. Crabs were entering the critical moulting phase and urgently needed aquatic‑plant shelter, yet the imported Elodea would not survive. At a critical moment, technical experts under the regional‑cooperation mechanism advised him to switch to aquatic‑plant varieties adapted to local saline‑alkali conditions. Ideal habitats for crabs were finally created, greatly raising survival rates. Deng Bihao’s first crab harvest proved highly successful, yielding over 200 jin per mu. At the 2025 Shanghai International Crab Industry Expo, a businessman from Suzhou was so impressed by the quality of his crabs that he bought all 200 samples.

With sustained technology transfer and industrial expansion, Ningxia has carried out comprehensive saline‑alkali land and water governance under the paired‑assistance framework through “fishery‑driven alkali and salt reduction”, and the comprehensive benefits of fisheries have become increasingly prominent.

At the base of Ruixin Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. in Xigang Town, Helan County, barrel‑shaped fish ponds filled with water come into view, while the far end of the greenhouse holds lush vegetable crops. “This is the standard configuration for an aquaponics system,” explained Chi Hongwei, the company’s manager. “Our secret for raising fish without changing water and growing vegetables without applying chemical fertiliser lies in pipes laid beneath fish ponds that run through vegetable plots. Filtered pond water is used for vegetable drip irrigation, while sedimented fish faeces and leftover feed serve as organic fertiliser.” This technical model makes highly efficient use of water resources and cuts chemical‑fertiliser and pesticide application for vegetables by more than 75 percent.

In Changxin Township, Helan County, Kehai Biotechnology Co., Ltd. has partnered with multiple research institutes to develop rice‑fish culture. Nutrient‑rich aquaculture water containing nitrogen and phosphorus irrigates rice paddies. The alkalised water, purified via the “three‑ponds‑and‑two‑dams” treatment system, is recycled as high‑quality water for aquaculture. This approach mitigates water‑quality deterioration caused by leftover feed and aquatic animal excreta, reduces chemical inputs for rice farming, and realises complementary advantages across sectors.

During the 2025 summer vacation, the “Rice‑Fish Space” rural eco‑tourism park, also in Changxin Township, drew large crowds. Giant rice‑paddy murals, recreational angling and special‑theme catering became major tourist attractions. Evolving from rice paddies to integrated agriculture‑fishery‑tourism development, the project exemplifies deep integration of primary, secondary and tertiary industries within Ningxia’s fisheries. It receives more than 200 000 visitors annually and generates over 100 million yuan in comprehensive revenue.

Integrated fishery‑agriculture utilisation of saline‑alkali land and water has effectively expanded aquaculture space and offered new approaches for comprehensive saline‑alkali‑land governance. In August 2025, the National Seminar and On‑Site Observation Conference on Integrated Fishery‑Agriculture Utilisation of Saline‑Alkali Land and Water was held in Yinchuan, presenting a “Ningxia model” for unlocking saline‑alkali land potential, tapping agricultural production capacity and advancing fisheries industrial upgrading.

### Integrated Mutual Advancement: Fujian‑Ningxia Embark on a New Journey Hand‑in‑Hand

“Investigating fishery projects on inspection tours was rarely seen in the old days!” recalled Zhang Jun, Director of the Regional Cooperation Promotion and Assistance Division of Ningxia Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. In October 2024, the 28th Joint Meeting of Fujian‑Ningxia Cooperation convened in Yinchuan. Fujian’s Party and government delegation conducted field inspections of technical support provided by research teams for land‑based recirculating aquaculture, water‑quality regulation and disease prevention and control.

Whiteleg shrimp, giant tiger prawn, yellowfin seabream, large yellow croaker … In recent years, “land‑produced seafood” from Lanwan Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd. in Helan County — one of the delegation’s inspection sites — has earned a strong reputation and faces unmet market demand. “Seafood farming on saline‑alkali land hinges on water quality, with recirculation as its core. Without Fujian‑Ningxia cooperation, none of this would exist for us,” explained Qiang Zuozhou, the company’s manager. Working with Xiamen University, Jimei University, Ningde Normal University and other institutions, the enterprise carries out desalination‑adapted breeding of marine fish and shrimp fry and has overcome technical instabilities in simulating seawater conditions on saline‑alkali land. Its annual marine‑fish‑and‑shrimp output now reaches 500 tonnes, sold to neighbouring provincial‑level regions.

Inside the company’s farming workshops, Zheng Changbing from Ningde Normal University uses fine‑mesh filters to collect excretions from large yellow croaker culture tanks. Rigorous and meticulous yet reserved, he has thrown himself whole‑heartedly into technical research ever since arriving in Ningxia, returning to his hometown only once for the Spring Festival.

In 2022, the technical team led by Liu Jiafu, known as “Father of Large Yellow Croakers in China”, and Lanwan Co., Ltd. jointly set up a research group for “new technologies of large yellow croaker farming in saline‑alkali water”. Three batches of large yellow croaker fry were transported to Ningxia for farming trials.

“First we had to tackle low survival rates of fry during long‑distance transport. Currently fry survival stands at 60 percent, and some croakers reaching 300 grams meet market‑ready specifications,” said team member Huang Weiqing. Going forward, the team intends to conduct molecular breeding research and explore building a large yellow croaker germplasm‑resource bank, with Ningxia as a hub to drive development across surrounding regions.

The successful introduction of large yellow croakers has opened another door for bilateral cooperation. Beyond delivering strong industrial impetus to inland regions, Fujian‑Ningxia fisheries cooperation also provides coastal provinces with a “resource bank” and “testing ground” for supply‑chain improvement and cutting‑edge‑technology research.

Now retired, Chen Qifa serves as Honorary Chairman of the Fujian Aquatic Feed Research Association and remains active in public‑service work. More than 2 000 kilometres away in Yanchi County, Wuzhong, Zhang Dezhi, manager of Yijian Bioengineering Co., Ltd., imported 100 000 Atlantic salmon eggs from Iceland. After overseeing construction of supporting workshops, he travels to Fujian to seek technical advice.

In Chen Qifa’s view, many technologies developed for Ningxia’s saline‑alkali land are applicable to Fujian’s marine aquaculture. “For example, spirulina produced by Yijian Company serves as a vital protein source for aquatic animals and is rich in astaxanthin, which directly affects aquatic‑product appearance and market pricing. Resource sharing through Fujian‑Ningxia cooperation brings double benefits.”

Similarly, Ningfeng Biological Feed Products Co., Ltd. capitalises on Yanchi County’s abundant saline‑alkali water resources to farm brine shrimp, which serve as first‑feed food for fish, shrimp and crab larvae. Its products are highly regarded by Fujian aquaculture operators. Inside the firm’s workshops, newly introduced sea cucumber fry occupy technicians’ attention. “This is the saline‑alkali‑water apostichopus japonicus farming project in cooperation with Professor Wang Guodong’s technical team at Jimei University, aimed at breeding broadly‑adapted sea‑cucumber varieties tolerant to diverse water‑quality conditions,” introduced Bai Yuping, a local science‑and‑technology commissioner.

Bound together by water across mountains and seas, Fujian‑Ningxia cooperation has, for nearly 30 years, driven industrial growth through fisheries as both regions march forward toward new horizons. According to Tang Liang, Director of the Fisheries and Fishery Administration Bureau under Ningxia Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, building on its unique resource advantages, Ningxia will keep leveraging the Fujian‑Ningxia cooperation platform, further expand collaborative areas, and continuously refine its saline‑alkali‑land aquaculture technical system. The goal is to turn Ningxia into a national model zone for complementary land‑sea fisheries linkages, contributing more to China’s comprehensive saline‑alkali‑land utilisation, regional coordinated development, and deeper implementation of east‑west paired‑assistance programmes.