Rural vitalization law drives Datong's success

A plateau county in Xining, Qinghai province, has placed its yak products in 3,500 retail outlets nationwide while keeping livestock herds within ecological protection limits, supported by China's first county-level legislation on the vitalization of rural industry.

Datong Hui and Tu autonomous county is home to China's largest yak breeding base — the Qinghai Yak Breeding and Promotion Service Center — which spans more than 247 hectares and manages over 300 breeding bulls across all yak breeds found in Qinghai.

Hu Guangwei, deputy director of the center, said the Datong yak — introduced by the center in 2004 as China's first artificially bred yak variety — was developed over two decades through crossbreeding wild and domestic yaks.

"The offspring of the Datong yak are roughly 1.2 times heavier than ordinary domestic yaks, with some adult males reaching over 600 kilograms," Hu said, highlighting its potential to transform yak farming and boost herder incomes across Qinghai.

That potential is being realized at the county level. Li Cunde, deputy head of Datong's veterinary station, said that the county has promoted artificial insemination techniques for Datong yaks among local farming households, and this year alone has contributed to the upgrading of 3,700 head across 69 households.

"The Datong yak has a half wild yak bloodline, giving it strong adaptability to high-altitude, cold environments," Li said, adding that the calves grow faster than other Qinghai plateau breeds.

Li said that the county is home to 123,700 Datong yaks, accounting for 51 percent of the total cattle population, with annual sales of 38,000 head and a meat output of 5,600 metric tons. To bring these gains to herders, the county has been training farmers in artificial insemination and scientific breeding techniques.

"We shifted from traditional extensive grazing to standardized scientific breeding. Through winter-spring supplementary feeding and full-calf nursing, the growth cycle has been shortened by about half a year, and each Datong yak now brings herders an additional 2,000 yuan ($295) or more," Li said.

Three standardized slaughter facilities in the county process up to 60,000 head per year. Products carry traceability QR codes and are sold at major supermarket chains such as Metro and Sam's Club, he added.

Li said that industrial expansion remains within strict ecological protection bounds. The county has six natural usable grasslands spanning over 166,700 hectares. This has created a virtuous cycle between production and ecological conservation.

Large-scale farms achieve manure resource utilization rates above 94 percent, and much of that manure is processed into organic fertilizer and applied to the county's expanding cool-climate vegetable fields, closing the loop between livestock and crop production.

"Cool-climate vegetables are varieties adapted to elevations between 1,800 and 3,000 meters, where cool temperatures, wide day-night swings and long sunshine hours give them a natural advantage," said Zhang Guangsheng, director of the county's vegetable technology service center. "They accumulate more dry matter and vitamins — they're sweeter, crisper and store longer."

Datong sits at an average altitude of 2,200 to 2,800 meters, with clean soil, minimal industrial pollution and irrigation from highland runoff — conditions that have earned the county national recognition as a "golden zone" for cool-climate vegetable production.

The county has 5,333 hectares under cultivation, producing 256,100 tons annually with an output value of 790 million yuan, Zhang said, adding that 39 products have received organic or green food certification, and pesticide residue compliance has remained above 98 percent.

More than 60 percent of output ships to areas including Shanghai, and Guangdong and Fujian provinces, with 11 dedicated supply bases covering over 667 hectares serving the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Specialty varieties such as pea shoots and broccoli sprouts can reach southern markets within 48 hours, Zhang added.

"Chemical fertilizer use has been cut by 20 percent through organic replacement, including yak manure from local farms," he said.

Through land transfers and on-farm employment, hundreds of households have joined the vegetable supply chain, boosting both incomes and local job creation.

Underpinning both industries is the regulation on the promotion of rural industrial vitalization, enacted by the county's people's congress in 2022 as China's first county-level legislation of its kind.

Drafted to address short value chains, weak branding and scattered resources, the 26-article regulation institutionalizes support for agricultural and livestock development, forming an effective policy support system — from conserving germplasm resources and building seed breeding bases, to providing financial incentives, promoting green organic production, cold-chain logistics, e-commerce, and the use of geographical indication brands such as Datong yak and locally designated vegetable labels.

"The regulation consolidates proven practices into legally binding norms, ensuring stability and continuity in our rural industry revitalization efforts," said Xie Ji, deputy head of the county government.