XINING - Many families from Qinghai province are casting off poverty using lamian, or hand-pulled noodles, a local specialty.

Qinghai's hand-pulled noodle businesses generated revenue of 18 billion yuan ($2.6 billion) across China last year. Former farmers who became migrant workers earned a combined salary of nearly 4 billion yuan as a result, according to the human resources and social security department in the province.

Most of those engaged in the noodle business are from Haidong, a city with seemingly endless mountains and deep valleys, which also is known for prolonged droughts. It is one of the poorest areas in China.