Once dominated by large-scale coal mining, Jungar Banner is charting a new path toward ecological restoration and sustainable development in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

At the heart of this transformation is the Jungar Banner Kinetic Coal Mine Reclamation Base, demonstrating how former mining areas and agricultural landscapes can be transformed into destinations for environmental recovery, agriculture and tourism.

The Jungar Banner Kinetic Coal Mine Reclamation Base showcases efforts to restore land affected by mining. Through land rehabilitation, ecological management and the introduction of new vegetation and productive uses, the site reflects a broader shift from resource extraction toward ecological restoration.

For a region long associated with coal production, the reclamation base carries a powerful message: landscapes once shaped by mining can be restored and given new life. Areas once connected primarily with resource extraction can become part of a greener economic and environmental future.

Agricultural products grown in the area are also processed into wine and juice, creating new value from land once used for coal mining and supporting a more sustainable local economy.

Along the Yellow River, the Yellow River Rice-Fish Ecological Sightseeing Park offers another striking example of such transformation. The area was previously saline-alkaline, difficult-to-farm land. Farmers have rehabilitated it and now grow rice. Fish, crabs and other aquatic animals live in the rice paddies. They help control weeds and pests, while their waste provides nutrients for the rice. Combining rice cultivation with fish farming, the park creates an agricultural landscape that is both productive and visually captivating.

One of the park’s most remarkable attractions is its colorful rice-field artwork. Rice plants in different colors are carefully cultivated and arranged to create beautiful, enormous ground-made pictures across the fields. Viewed from an elevated perspective, the multicolored rice plants come together to form intricate images and patterns, transforming ordinary farmland into a spectacular living canvas.

The vivid designs make the rice fields especially impressive during the growing season. Instead of relying on paint or artificial materials, the pictures are created naturally through the deliberate planting of rice varieties with different colors. The result is a unique combination of agriculture, ecological creativity and rural tourism.

The rice-fish farming system adds another dimension to the experience. Rice cultivation and fish farming are integrated within the same agricultural environment, creating a productive landscape while offering visitors an opportunity to learn about traditional and modern approaches to ecological agriculture.

The park also adds a tourism dimension to the region’s ecological development. Visitors can admire the colorful rice-field artwork, explore the agricultural landscape, learn about rice-fish farming and enjoy the scenery surrounding the Yellow River.

Hayk Sahakyan