The "Desert-crossing Highway". [Photo provided to investordos.goinnermongolia.com.cn]

The Xi-wu Highway, which extends from Xini town in Hanggin Banner, Ordos city, to Wulashan town in Bayannuur city, was constructed in 1998. It is 115 kilometers long, with 100 km in Hanggin Banner and 50 km traversing the renowned Kubuqi Desert. That's why the highway is known as the "Desert-crossing Highway". It represents the longest and most challenging desert road construction in China.

A section of the "Desert-crossing Highway". [Photo provided to investordos.goinnermongolia.com.cn]

A section of the "Desert-crossing Highway". [Photo provided to investordos.goinnermongolia.com.cn]

The Kubuqi Desert is the seventh-largest in China. The Mongolian word "Kubuqi" means "string on a bow", reflecting its geographical position beneath the Yellow River, which is like a string suspended from the river. Historically, the desert was also known as "Kujie Sha", "Pona Sha", and "Puna Sha".

The Kubuqi Desert is the closest desert to Beijing. It is located on the northern side of the Ordos Plateau and spans Ordos' Hanggin Banner, Dalad Banner, and Juungar Banner. It has a total area of about 1.45 million hectares.

About 61 percent of this desert consists of moving sand dunes that extend 400 km in length, 50 km in width, and 10 to 60 meters in height. These dunes resemble a yellow dragon lying across the northern part of the Ordos Plateau. The predominant formations include chains of dunes and lattice dunes.