Snapshots of modern life in Inner Mongolia

Over the past 40 years, technological advances have brought sweeping changes to the vast grasslands of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which occupies more than 12 percent of China's land area.

SMARTPHONES

Using just his mobile phone, Erdenet can control the water pumps for the wells across his 733 hectares of grassland, and the automatic drinking system will provide adequate water for his sheep.

Erdenet, a 46-year-old herdsman from the Xini Township of Hanggin Banner, once cracked a herding whip to drive his sheep and every day, he would manually turn the water pumps on and off -- a painstaking task.

Now his phone is the only tool he uses to herd the sheep and run the farm.

Technologies ranging from automatic feeding and drinking machines to smart fences and remote-controlled irrigation systems have not only made the lives of herdsmen easier but also raised their incomes and freed many people from a life of drudgery.

"Thanks to the intelligent grazing system, we can easily manage 1,500 sheep with two people. It would take at least eight people to do the same work the traditional way," Erdenet said.