New professions emerge amid Northwest China's desert travel boom

YINCHUAN — Sleeping in hotels under starry skies and sipping piping hot coffee have become tourism trends in the desert of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, contributing to a growing number of travelers to the region.

According to data from Meituan, one of China's leading online services platforms, searches for "Tengger Desert hotels" skyrocketed 470 percent and searches for "desert coffee" soared 518 percent year-on-year in early August.

This tourism boom has not only fueled the local economy, but also sparked the rise of new, unique professions such as desert baristas and stargazing guides.

"There was little coffee available in the desert in Ningxia before, but the influx of big-city tourists and their coffee-sipping habits changed that," said 24-year-old Li Qian, who is from Ningxia's Zhongwei.

After graduating from college, she started working part-time as a barista at a resort hotel in the Tengger Desert, which extends partially into Zhongwei. During the peak tourist season, Li and her fellow desert baristas brew up to 700 cups of coffee a day.

Her hometown, Zhongwei, was once plagued by sandstorms but has since undergone ecological transformation. Thanks to extensive desertification control efforts, the Tengger Desert has receded by 25 kilometers, turning once-barren land into greenery. Zhongwei has since become a tourist hotspot.

"Most of our customers come from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and they love snapping photos to share on social media," she said. The increasing number of visitors has introduced coffee culture to the desert, creating new job opportunities for young locals like Li in their own hometowns.

To cater to tourists' fascination with the desert and its "starry starry nights", Li crafted a unique meteor shower coffee using latte art that mirrors the nocturnal firmament. This innovative brew quickly became a hit with visitors.

"In Zhongwei, there's nothing like sipping coffee while stargazing," Li said, noting that the recent Perseid meteor shower lit up the night sky in the Northern Hemisphere from July 17 to Aug 24.

For those seeking deeper exploration of the night sky, a unique experience with expert guidance awaits. Jin Yanping, a stargazer from Ningxia who was born in the 1990s, works as a desert stargazing guide. He leads tourists across the desert to experience the vastness of the universe through the stars.

"As a child, I was always fascinated by the mysteries of the sky," Jin said. In 2021, he became a stargazing guide and has since become one of the most sought-after guides in the Tengger Desert.

But Jin's work goes beyond stargazing. He educates travelers about constellations, mythology and astronomy, enriching their appreciation of the night sky's wonders. In the Ningxia desert, visitors can recline on soft dunes, gaze up at the Milky Way and feel a deep connection with nature.

"When people look up at a sky full of stars, they often feel a rush of excitement and contentment," Jin said. "It's a moment that lets them escape the worries of everyday life, even if just for a little while."

Zhu Ying, a tourist from Shanghai, traveled to Ningxia in mid-August to witness the breathtaking Perseid meteor shower. "Lying in the desert and gazing at the stars, I felt a profound sense of tranquility. It was as if I became one with the universe, and all my worries simply melted away," she said, reflecting on the experience.

The desert tourism boom has also given rise to other emerging professions, including camel handlers, off-road vehicle guides and even desert DJs, creating fresh opportunities for local youths.

"This new profession not only creates new employment opportunities, but also lets us savor the beauty of life in the desert," said Li, the barista.

Xinhua