Horinger county in Hohhot has accelerated its upgrades and development of industry clusters to become the city's southern growth engine.

In the first half of the year, Horinger's GDP reached 15.38 billion yuan ($2.14 billion), an 8.2-percent increase on the previous corresponding period.

Its industrial added value grew by 9.9 percent, with total industrial output of 20.94 billion yuan, up 4.53 percent. Fixed asset investment hit 9.21 billion yuan in the six months, a 52.2-percent increase, ranking it first in Hohhot.

Focusing on green agricultural products, new energy, new materials, biomedicines and cultural tourism, Horinger implemented 76 industrial projects.

Its green agricultural sector expanded with projects like Zhongliang Feed and Yanjing Beer moving forwards.

In new energy, seven major projects – including the Datang Togtoh Power Plant – were launched with a total investment of 7.2 billion yuan.

As a result, the county's installed capacity reached 1.23 million kilowatts and is expected to grow to 3.34 million kW, generating 3 billion yuan in output annually.

New materials saw major growth in H1 with Tianhao Glass Fiber leading its 2.2 square kilometer Yun Valley New Industrial Park – laying the foundations for a 20-billion-yuan industry supply chain.

Education and healthcare also improved with new schools in the period, with expanded campuses and upgraded healthcare facilities. Horinger also achieved 29.15 percent forest coverage, earning titles like "National Model County for Greening".

The county promoted its cultural development through integrated tourism and agriculture – enhancing the "North Frontier" cultural brand and endeavoring to create a livable, tourist-friendly environment.