Xi's visit highlights flowering prospects in Yunnan

He Yuehua is still excited about her meeting with President Xi Jinping on Wednesday afternoon, when he visited her workplace at Lijiang Modern Flower Industry Park in Lijiang, Yunnan province.

"I got a lot of phone calls from my relatives and friends after President Xi visited our park. They saw in the media that I was among those who chatted with President Xi, and they were curious about what we talked about," said He, 43, a member of the Naxi ethnic group.

When Xi conducted an inspection tour in Yunnan on Wednesday and Thursday, he chose the flower industry park where He works for his first stop, as the flower economy is unique in Yunnan in promoting rural vitalization.

By the end of 2024, the total flower planting area in Yunnan had stabilized at around 130,000 hectares, and the output of fresh-cut flowers amounted to 20.6 billion stems, local authorities said.

The export value of fresh-cut flowers from Yunnan reached 760 million yuan ($104 million), marking a 34 percent year-on-year increase, according to Kunming Customs.

"President Xi asked me about the details of my job and my income. He said the flower business here is thriving and aligns with the development path of modern agriculture. He wished that our lives should be as beautiful as flowers," He said.

Xi has frequently called for developing specialty industries based on local resources during his inspection tours nationwide. While visiting the countryside, he would carefully investigate the output of local specialties and farmers' incomes, talking with local people in greenhouses, fields, among fruit trees and in front of farmhouses.