At the welcoming dinner of last year's G20 Hangzhou Summit, a cold dish made of lamb was appreciated by the world leaders for its delicious taste and tender texture¹.

 

去年杭州G20峰会欢迎晚宴上，一盘羔羊肉凉菜因味美可口肉质细嫩获得世界各地领导人的好评。
 

 

The main ingredient of the dish came from a previously² poverty-stricken village in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous³ Region.

 

Ma'erzhuang Village of Yanchi County now has earned a reputation for the Tan sheep industry.

 

Located in the desert and Loess Plateau transition zone, the village had long been threatened by wind and sand storms.

 

Under such adverse⁴ environmental conditions, raising Tan sheep became an important economic pillar for the local people.

 

The villagers' living standards were hard to guarantee, when mutton prices fluctuated, feed costs increased, or when the occasional outbreak of epidemics⁵ occurred.

 

With the support of the government and local poverty alleviation⁶ policies, in 2002, Ma'erzhuang Village began closing the hills to ban grazing. 

 

"In the past, the sand could accumulate to a height as tall as the house roof. Since 2002, the restoration of farmlands to forests has been implemented⁷. Just in three years' time, the eco-system was nearly back to normal," said a villager named Lu Wentao.

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