China News Service, Bayannaoer, November 13th. Title: Visiting the Gobi Station in Inner Mongolia: "Come on" for the border residents and "continue" for common prosperity.
China News Service reporter Zhang Linhu
At the northern foot of Yinshan Mountain, the Gobi Desert is vast. In Huogeqi Sumu (sumu, Mongolian, meaning township) not far from the China-Mongolia border, the early winter wind swept across the vast desert beach. In front of the Hailishu gas station, vehicles waiting to refuel line up on the gravel road, with license plates from various places scattered among them. In the past, this was a "fuel blind spot" that caused difficulties for herdsmen and self-driving drivers. It was normal to run hundreds of kilometers to refuel. Now that this small Gobi station has been completed and put into use, it is not only a supply point for the production and life of border residents, but also a place for people of all ethnic groups traveling from north to south to meet and communicate.
The picture shows the Sumu Party Committee studying the construction of gas stations. Photo by Ayesha
The warm light of the Gobi desert relieves the worries of border people
Huegeqisumu in Uradhou Banner, Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is located deep in the North Gobi of Yinshan Mountain, bordering the South Gobi Province of Mongolia to the north, where herders live scattered. In the past, herdsmen had to drive about 120 kilometers one way to refuel. When encountering sandstorms and snowfall, traveling was even more frightening.
"It used to take a long time to fill up the tank once, and it took a long time to go back and forth, grazing and hauling fodder. Now, you can fill it up in a few minutes when you go out. The gas price is the same as in the city. The money saved in a year is enough to buy three or four tons of fodder. It is really a big help to the herdsmen." said He Manhai, a herdsman in Biliqier Gacha (Gacha, meaning village in Mongolian).
The herdsmen have a detailed account in mind: in the past, a round trip of 240 kilometers for refueling can now save about 140 yuan in gas costs per trip, which can save more than 10,000 yuan in production and living expenses in a year.
In 2023, party members and cadres from Qisumu went to the pastoral areas and visited households, and listed "refueling is far away and it is difficult to use fuel" as one of the most concentrated worries reported by the masses. The Sumu Party Committee took the lead and gathered forces from various parties to explore a village-enterprise joint venture model with state-owned enterprise empowerment, collective equity participation, and party building coordination. Wulatehouqi Urban Investment Company is responsible for fund raising, project construction and daily operations, accounting for 51% of the shares; Mandula Gacha relied on collective funds to invest in the company and registered Mandula Energy Co., Ltd., accounting for 49% of the shares.
Construction conditions in the Gobi are difficult, with long transportation distances for building materials and frequent sand and dust weather. The Sumu Party Committee conducted in-depth investigations and coordination six times, pushing the power supply department to increase the transformer capacity from 200 kVA to 400 kVA. The main part of the project was completed four months ahead of schedule. During the construction phase, the project gave priority to attracting local herdsmen to work nearby. 28 herdsmen increased their income at home, with an average income increase of more than 9,000 yuan per capita.
The picture shows the "Du·Yinshan" vehicle refueling at Hailisu gas station. Photo by Wang Junxia
Yinshan Mountain serves as a guide, gathering visitors from all over the world
According to statistics, during this year's National Day holiday, Hailisu gas station received a total of 860 vehicles in seven days, with a refueling volume of approximately 42,000 liters and an operating income of 360,000 yuan. In addition to oil supply, the site also provides free tire pressure testing, emergency tool borrowing, simple vehicle maintenance, temporary rest and other services, and has been quietly upgraded to a grassland comprehensive service station integrating energy supply, convenient services, and cultural tourism support.
This is the most missing piece of the puzzle in the "Du·Yinshan" tourist corridor. In recent years, Bayannaoer City has created the "Crossing Yinshan" cultural tourism IP to connect the Gobi, grasslands, rock paintings, and border resources in the north and south of Yinshan to create a self-driving corridor. There is an endless stream of self-driving enthusiasts from all over the country, and tourists of all races meet here. Wulatehou Banner's main focus is "Exploring the Secret Realm·Crossing the Yin Mountains", and the cross-country crossing of the Gobi is the core special product. The Baori Khantu Oasis in Qisumu is the base camp for self-driving tours on this route. But before that, cyclists traveling through the Yinshan Mountains have always had concerns: once they drive into the Gobi, if they run out of fuel or the vehicle breaks down, it will be difficult to find supplies for dozens of kilometers along the route.
"In the past, the biggest fear when traveling by car was that the car would run out of gas or break down. Now with this comprehensive station, it is convenient to refuel, rest, and respond to emergencies, which is very practical." said Cui Xu, an off-road enthusiast who has traveled through Yinshan Mountain all year round.
Since the beginning of summer this year, the number of self-driving vehicles on the "Du·Yinshan" self-driving crossing has increased by 45% year-on-year. Since it was put into operation, this small station has received more than 4,000 vehicles. The traffic flow brings people, and also creates business opportunities along the route. People from different regions and different nationalities meet here.
"While the convoy was resting at the station, business in Mujiale along the route was booming. Sales of local specialties such as beef and mutton, dairy products, and cistanche deserticola increased significantly, opening up new income channels for herdsmen," said herder Haas.
The picture shows self-driving tourists "crossing Yinshan Mountain". Photo by Ma Yongliang
Join forces to pave the way for shared prosperity
The 49% collective shareholding in the gas station is a stable source of income for the Mandula Gacha collective economy. For Gacha deep in the Gobi, it is not easy to find sustainable collective economic projects; only with this gas station can Gacha have surplus funds to support the herdsmen who are in dire need.
According to Jirenzhuriga, secretary of the Qisumu Party Committee, this gas station not only solves the "refueling problem", but also connects the herdsmen's production and life, the "crossing Yinshan" cultural tourism route and the Gacha collective economy. “The Haloxylon ammodendron forest and Cistanche deserticola in Mandula Gacha, the Gobi red camel in Qiandameng Gacha, the freeze-dried meat farm in Sarula Gacha, and the newly built gas station, oil, grass, camels, meat, and brigade are integrated with each other and support each other.”
Jirenzhuriga said that riders traveling from north to south and local herdsmen met at the Gobi gas station, where they refueled, rested and bought specialties. "The lights are on and the roads are smooth. Herders' lives are more convenient and their days are more promising."
