In Northwest China's Gansu Province, there are camel traffic lights at Mingsha Mountain and Yueya Spring, a scenic spot (景点) surrounded by sand dunes (沙丘). A red camel shows "stop" and a green camel shows "go". The special traffic lights, first designed to reduce the traffic jam in the desert, got much media attention in 2023 and have become a popular tourist attraction.
According to a report, more than 3.7 million tourists visited the spot in 2023, with 42 percent choosing camel rides.
The quick increase in tourists needs more local camel herders (牧民). Zhao, 42, is an experienced camel owner from the Yueya Spring Village, who owns 21 camels. The rapid development of tourism has brought hope for the villagers. And they began to do the camel walking business at the scenic spot.
In the busy season in summer, the scenic area is home to about 2,000 camels. Each camel undertakes three trips a day.
"Our village used to be poor, but now we are rich because of the camel walking business. They are like family members to us. In summer, we give them nice food and help them cool down. We also take them to the vet for annual check-ups in winter. " Zhao said.
