Historically, Chinese agricultural settlement in the area was made possible by the
Shiyang River, flowing from the
Qilian Mountains. However, the livelihood of Chinese farmers here was often precarious; in the 1920s it was considered as somewhat of a regular famine district. Large number of Zhenfan people, nicknamed "Sand-hollow Mice", worked as "camel-pullers" with
caravans owned by Mongols from the adjacent
Alashan, or moved—temporarily or permanently—to
Xinjiang. For example, as of 1926, the main population of the small oasis of Santanghu (now, officially, Santanghu () in what's today
Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County of Xinjiang were migrants from Minqin (Zhenfan) and their descendants. By the late 20th century, the environmental situation in the Minqin area deteriorated, as smaller amounts of the Shiyang River water reached the area, due to the increased irrigation of use of it
upstream. Ground water levels fell, and desertification became a serious threat. ==Climate==