It’s a continent, actually

Ningxia, an autonomous region in China’s north-west, is home to 6.3m people. About a third of them are Muslims, descendants of travellers along the Silk Road. The region is keen to revive the kind of trade networks that created its unique ethnic mix, so that it can diversify an economy which relies too much on coal, metals and chemicals.

In that regard Ningxia is hoping to sell nutritious goji berries to people worried about their bodies, certified halal foods to Muslims worried about their souls, and fine red wines to people relaxed about both. If these schemes succeed, they will help Ningxia to close its big trade gap with the rest of the world—and the rest of the country.

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The Economist via CHINA US Focus http://ift.tt/1l69vHn