At a chateau outside Minning, Qiao Ming, a manager, appeared in a wine-tasting hall in late afternoon. Surrounded by enthusiastic tourists who paid to visit the estate, Qiao, 38, sat at a large wooden table and told them about her company's red, white and rose wines.

After the visitors had left, Qiao said she relocated to Minning from the Shanbei area of neighboring Shaanxi province in 1997. She listed financial problems, bad weather and poor living standards as the main reasons for her family's move.

But back then, moving to Minning did not mean jobs were available.

After high school, Qiao went to Shenzhen in the more affluent coastal province of Guangdong, where she found work with an electronics company. She then returned to Minning for personal reasons, where she worked at a tourist spot for a low salary. She joined the wine estate four years ago and initially did cleaning work.

"This winery provides employment to many environmental migrants," Qiao said.

Some have managerial positions like her, while most of the others do basic work.

Hu Dongmei contributed to this story.