A florist (R) loads potted flowers onto a vehicle accompanied by Mihrigvl Rixat, daughter of Salima Sultan, in front of her home at Qianjin Village in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 18, 2019. Dwellings surrounded by fragrant blossom in profusion, well-arranged houses and alleys of a neat appearance, sundry trees lining along the streets where children enjoy themselves, the pastoral scene can be seen everywhere in Qianjin Village. The Idyllic beauty in Qianjin Village derives from its booming flower economy, in which Salima Sultan is a pioneer. Salima, a 60-year-old villager, developed the fondness of flowers since young and turned flower cultivation into an important source to improve her livelihood. In early 2018, a working team at the grassroots level for improving people's wellbeing launched a project in Qianjin Village to help villagers boost their income by offering free flowerpots and seeds and contacting florists. With the help of team members and her children, Salima started to run the courtyard business and has now planted over 1,000 pots of flowers, attracting many wholesalers to purchase during holidays. Last year, Salima's family was awarded as a model household in building beautiful courtyards by local authorities. The courtyard economy now serves as an important channel for local villagers to enhance their income, with about 60 households involved. The annual income of each household who planted flowers increases by 5,000 yuan (about 698 U.S. dollars) to 18,000 yuan (about 2,514 U.S. dollars). Like Salima, more villagers are joining in to build the flower economy and endow the village with vitality. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)
