Grape trellises are a common sight in rural areas of the southern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The plant, not only provides locals precious shade in the scorching summer heat, but also bears fruit which is famously sweet and juicy.

One such village is Yujimilike in Yutian county, which is situated on the southern edge of Taklimakan, the world's second-largest shifting desert. Despite its dusty weather, the region is suitable for the growth of grapes thanks to the ample sunshine and pristine snowmelt flowing down from the Kunlun Mountains.

Yujimilike has a long history of cultivating grapes. But in the past, the sweetness of the fruit did not translate into the prosperity of villagers.

In 2016, among the 2,524 residents of the village, 526 lived under the national poverty line – a per-capita income of less than 2,300 yuan ($336) a year – which means they lived on slightly less than $1 per day.

One important cause of the high poverty rate was a lack of alternative sources of income.

"In a bad year, the villagers would see their incomes reduced dramatically, pushing families into financial difficulty," said Tian Jianhua, head of a working team sent from Yutian county to Yujimilike. 

To address the problem, efforts have been made to diversify villagers' sources of income.

Starting last year, grape leaves, which in the past were deemed as having no economic value and used to feed livestock, have been turned into a new source of income.

The leaves are exported to countries such as Chile, where they are used as wrapping for glutinous rice and made into canned food, said Zulfukar Nijat, a Party official of the village.

Growers can earn 5 yuan for each kilogram of leaves they sell. And each mu (667 square meters) of grape land can produce about 400 kg of leaves.

Arzgu Abduhayni, a villager, said the picking season of grape leaves lasts from May to September. Her family grows six mu of grapes, and the income from the sales of grapes and leaves were more than 50,000 yuan last year.

According to the government of Lan'gan township, which administers Yujimilike village, the output value of the township's grape industry reached 148 million yuan last year, among which 24 million yuan came from the sales of grape leaves.

Efforts have also been made to boost the added value of grape industry.

Since 2018, a new grape variety called Centennial Seedless has been grown on trial in around 500 mu of land. The village has a total of 2,700 mu of grape land.

"The new breed, after being dried into raisins, can be sold at 60 yuan a kilogram, compared with 25 to 40 yuan per kg for a traditionally grown breed called Concubine Fragrance Red," Tian said. The new breed is expected to enter its full bearing age in the next few years, he added.

In addition, agricultural technicians have been invited to train farmers to improve their grape cultivation skills, such as trimming, binding of vines and use of organic fertilizer, Tian said.

The village has also gone the extra mile to boost employment of impoverished people.

Aykhan Aysan's family of six, including three minors and one elderly person, relied on the income from 4.5 mu of grape land. Their annual income was less than 20,000 yuan.

Since last year, she began working for a grape-themed agritainment yard in the village, where tourists can pick grapes and enjoy the leisure of rural life. She earns around 2,000 yuan a month by working there.

Last year, her family's revenue has more than doubled to 43,600 yuan, Aykhan said.

So far, 784 residents of the village have found jobs, a majority of which came with the help of the government. Among them, 62 have found jobs outside Hotan prefecture, Tian said.

Thanks to all the measures in place, all poor households in the village have been lifted out of poverty. In the past 12 months, the annual average income of the residents reached more than 12,000 yuan.