So, instead of focusing on old stalwarts like papermaking, cement production, metallurgy and mining, Zhangjiakou is now eyeing new energy and tourism.

In 2015, Zhangjiakou was approved by the State Council as China's first national-level renew-able-energy demonstration area.

The National Wind and Solar Energy Storage Transmission Demonstration Project is a major new-energy project in the city.

Based on the rich wind resources and plenty of sunlight in Zhangbei and Shangyi counties, the project is expected to be the world's largest clean-energy facility.

With an investment of 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion), the project has installed wind-power capacity of 450 megawatts and photovoltaic power of 100 megawatts.

It can store 20 megawatts of energy and also has the ability to transmit electric power.

In the next five years, its parent company - the State Grid Jibei Electric Power Co - will invest another 23 billion yuan ($3.5 billion) to develop 10 clean-energy projects for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, according to a company white paper.

By 2020, 55 percent of the city's total power consumption will be covered by clean energy.

Tourism is another focus for Zhangjiakou, according to the Party chief, who says: "In Zhangjiakou, you can enjoy the grasslands and cool weather in summer, and skiing in winter."

In 2015, the number of tourists who visited Zhangjiakou was 38.5 million, up 16 percent from the previous year.

In winter, people throng to the ski resorts in the Chongli district, while a small number visit other scenic spots, such as the Zhangbei grasslands which holds a large music festival every summer.

Given the tourism boom, gov-government officials are now accelerating the construction and upgrading of facilities in scenic spots.

zhangyu@chinadaily.com.cn