An enormous modern glass and concrete palace complete with fountains and a well-appointed guest house rises out of the arid plains less than an hour's drive from Hohhot, the provincial capital of Inner Mongolia. This is the house that milk built. Or more exactly, the house that China Mengniu Dairy's Hong Kong initial public offering proceeds paid for.
Under the tutelage of maverick director and president Niu Gensheng, who likes to quote Mao Zedong and runs his company like an army, Mengniu has grown from nowhere to become the largest dairy company in China in just six years.
Like Mr Niu, who began his career 20 years earlier as a bottle cleaner at state milk company Yili, the company had an inauspicious start. It was established with just one million yuan by Mr Niu and other former Yili colleagues after he was ousted as vice-president over policy disagreements.