Ordos, together with Hohhot and Baotou, forms the "golden triangle" in the economic development of the autonomous region. Its main economic indicators are leading the whole region and positioned at the forefront of China's western regions. A prominent American consulting firm estimates that Ordos is one of the few locations in the world best suited for developing energy-intensive industries. In accordance with national planning, Ordos continues to place great emphasis on developing "Five bases" – a clean energy output base, a modern coal chemical production demonstration base, an aluminum industry and equipment manufacturing base, a green agricultural and animal products processing output base and a tourism base.
Natural Resources
1) Cashmere
Ordos is renowned as the national and global hub for high-quality cashmere, earning the title of "Cashmere Capital of China" and establishing itself as the world's cashmere industry center. It is the primary producing area of the Albas white goat cashmere, known as the "fiber gem" and "soft gold," and has received the highest international award for cashmere in Italy.
With the largest national base for breeding Albas cashmere goats, the city's cashmere industry has become a leading traditional and characteristic sector, producing 1,500 metric tons of cashmere annually.
It boasts an annual production of 10 million cashmere sweaters and 26 million tons of cashmere-free wool, contributing to about one-third of the country's and one-fourth of the world's output of cashmere.
2) Coal
Ordos is a significant energy base in China, with coal reserves making up about one-sixth of the national total at 268.1 billion tons.
The coalfield in Ordos is known for its stable occurrence, low gas content, and shallow burial. Additionally, coal quality varies across the city, enjoying complementarity.
Ordos's raw coal has low sulfur, ash, phosphorus, mercury, arsenic, and chlorine, along with medium to high calorific value, making it high-quality for power generation and chemical use.
3) Kaolin
Ordos has abundant high-quality non-metallic mineral resources like natural alkali, clay, kaolin, and bauxite, all valuable for exploitation.
The confirmed reserves include 4.33 billion tons of clay, 42.26 million tons of quartz sand, and 7 billion tons of kaolin.
The kaolin from Ordos is the highest quality among all hard kaolin in the country, and the largest calcined kaolin production line in China is located in its Juungar Banner.
4) Clean energy
· Wind energy
Located in the mid-latitude westerly wind belt of the Northern Hemisphere, Ordos has uniformly distributed wind energy resources with good continuity and stability.
The average effective wind power density is 150-200 watts per square meter, with a total available wind energy resource of over 10 million kilowatts, making it suitable for establishing large-scale wind power bases.
· Solar energy
Ordos has abundant solar energy resources, with annual sunshine hours ranging from 2,716.4 to 3,193.9, and an annual total solar radiation exceeding 144 kilocalories per square centimeter.
The city experiences few rainy days on average throughout the year, and in recent years, the number of windy and dusty days has sharply decreased, making it highly suitable for the development of solar photovoltaic power projects.
· Natural gas
The confirmed reserves of natural gas are equal to 5 trillion cubic meters, accounting for one-third of the national total. The city also has approximately 5 trillion cu m of coal seam gas reserves and over 10 trillion cu m of shale gas reserves.
Finance
Pudong Development Bank, China Merchants Bank, Huaxia Bank, China Citic Bank, Minsheng Bank and the Industrial Bank have opened branches in the city. Emerging financial service providers such as equity and futures enterprises have also settled in Ordos.
There are 44 banking institutions, 30 insurance companies, seven brokerage offices, two futures business offices, 92 small-credit firms and 34 financing guarantee companies. Ordos was awarded the honorary title of "Financial Ecological City in China".
The completed urban area has expanded to 258.5 sq km from 138 sq km in 2005. The urbanization rate has reached 72.8 percent, 18 percentage points higher than the national average. Ordos vows to grow into a modern and livable city with a favorable business environment.
Tourism
As a "Top Tourist City of China", Ordos boasts national 5A-level and 4A-level attractions like the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan Tourist Area (5A), the Resonant Sand Gorge(5A), the Seven-star Lake and the Engebei Tourist Area, as well as 47 national industrial and agricultural tourism demonstration sites.
There are two national 5A Scenic Areas, 21 4A Scenic Areas, 11 3A Scenic Areas, 32 star-rated hotels and 93 travel agencies.
Transportation
The total highway mileage in Ordos is 18,820 kilometers, including 2,213 km of high-grade surfacing.
There are 1,667 km of railways in Ordos. Their total annual freight handling is 350 million tons. A group of new railways like the Baotou-Xi'an, Dongsheng-Wuhai, and Jungar-Dongsheng lines have been put into service and others are under construction.
The construction of the Mengxi-Huazhong Railway is progressing and preparatory work on the Baotou-Xi'an railway line for passenger traffic has begun.
The city's Ejin Horo Airport is located 16 km southeast of Kangbashi New Area, at the junction of the Baotou-Maoming Expressway and Azhen town-Daliuta town Highway.
The airport has 42 air routes to 41 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
Internet and telecommunication
The city has realized full Internet coverage and has one of the most convenient telecommunication systems in China.
Human resources
According to incomplete statistics, Ordos had produced 96,000 technicians and other skilled people, including 30,000 highly skilled professionals. A total of 12 organizations were named as training bases for those talents by the authorities of the league, city and the autonomous region.
Culture
Ordos has a long history and rich culture. Two of the top three most famous epics of the Mongolian ethnic group – Erdeniin Tobchi and the Mongol Chronicle of Altan Tobchi – were created in Ordos. The city has a unique cultural mix of history and local customs that include Salawusu culture and Zhukaigou culture. Visitors to Ordos will experience grassland and nomadic culture, the city's bronze ware, sacrificial ceremonies to Genghis Khan, and the traditional culture of the Mongolian ethnic group including its folk dancing and music.
The traditional Ordos wedding, the sacrificial ceremony to Genghis Khan, and four other items have been listed as national-level intangible cultural heritages. There are 14 cultural relic sites under state protection, and the Salawusu relic site was included in a national archaeological park protection program.
A group of dances and dramas have won national awards and the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan Tourist Area and the Resonant Sand Gorge have been named national cultural industry demonstration bases.
