In the 1950s and 1960s, what is now the entrance area to Xiangshawan was the small settlement of Guziqu; the tourist area itself was barren waste.

The area received few visitors before the development of the tourist resort area, which was part of a general project to develop the Ordos and combat the Kubuqi's desertification.
Xiangshawan opened c. 1999 as China's first desert resort and remains its largest.
With Xiangshawan preserving an area of unreclaimable desert, other districts around it were planted with licorice and other herbs to begin improving the soil and returning it to its former grassland state. (
China became the first country in the world to achieve annual shrinkage in its desert area in the early 21st century.)
It began hosting a weeklong international photography convention around 2009.
The China National Tourism Administration granted the location AAAAA status in 2011, after a four-year campaign.
In 2012, it was used as a venue for the 2012 Miss World competition, which was principally based in Ordos that year.
The Desert Lotus Hotel in the Liansha Island area was completed in March 2013 and, in 2014, it hosted the International Mongolian Beauty Pageant.
In 2015, it received additional funds and privileges from the provincial government as part of a three-year tourism development program.

The site can accommodate about 10,000 guests at any one time.
Hou (2015) In 2016, Xiangshawan welcomed almost 810,000 visitors, around 770,000 during the summer and the rest throughout the other seasons of the year.
The resort greatly increased local living standards, which saw some household incomes rise from around 25,000 RMB each year as herders or corn farmers to over 100,000 RMB each year selling goods to the area's tourists.
The five desert resorts in Dalad Banner employed over 1000 workers in about 100 households in 2016.
In the 1950s and 1960s, what is now the entrance area to Xiangshawan was the small settlement of Guziqu; the tourist area itself was barren waste.
The area received few visitors before the development of the tourist resort area, which was part of a general project to develop the Ordos and combat the Kubuqi's desertification. Xiangshawan opened c. 1999 as China's first desert resort and remains its largest. With Xiangshawan preserving an area of unreclaimable desert, other districts around it were planted with licorice and other herbs to begin improving the soil and returning it to its former grassland state. (China became the first country in the world to achieve annual shrinkage in its desert area in the early 21st century.) It began hosting a weeklong international photography convention around 2009. The China National Tourism Administration granted the location AAAAA status in 2011, after a four-year campaign. In 2012, it was used as a venue for the 2012 Miss World competition, which was principally based in Ordos that year. The Desert Lotus Hotel in the Liansha Island area was completed in March 2013 and, in 2014, it hosted the International Mongolian Beauty Pageant. In 2015, it received additional funds and privileges from the provincial government as part of a three-year tourism development program.
The site can accommodate about 10,000 guests at any one time.Hou (2015) In 2016, Xiangshawan welcomed almost 810,000 visitors, around 770,000 during the summer and the rest throughout the other seasons of the year. The resort greatly increased local living standards, which saw some household incomes rise from around 25,000 RMB each year as herders or corn farmers to over 100,000 RMB each year selling goods to the area's tourists. The five desert resorts in Dalad Banner employed over 1000 workers in about 100 households in 2016.
Xiangshawan