Xinhua News Agency, Urumqi, May 19th 　Title: Happiness is like a flower — — Xinjiang’s "flower economy" drives the masses to get rich

　　Xinhua News Agency reporter Hao Yu

　　In May, the temperature in the Ili Valley in Xinjiang, "south of the Great Wall", warmed up, and the car went west along the Ili Valley, with flowers and flowers all the way. In recent years, focusing on flowers as a medium and promoting agriculture with flowers, Xinjiang has developed a "flower economy" based on the advantages of flower resources, laid out diversified industries, created a new bright spot for the integration of culture and tourism, and driven the masses to become rich.

　　Tourists are sightseeing in Tianshan Huahai National Agricultural Industrial Park, Yining County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang (photo taken on May 18, drone photo). Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei photo

　　"Lavender is a treasure, which can be used as a daily chemical product and a toy." Ma Zhongliang, a villager from Sigong Village, Lucaogou Town, Huocheng County, said. On the shelves of his own shop, all kinds of lavender deep-processed products such as essential oil, dried flowers and pillows are neatly packed.

　　Because it is at the same latitude as Provence in France, and the climate and soil conditions are similar, Sigong Village began to try planting lavender in 2005. After years of cultivation, the local lavender planting area has reached more than 12,000 mu, accounting for 96% of the total cultivated area.

　　"If you want to get rich, planting alone is not enough. You must find ways to increase the added value of lavender." Li Zengjie, secretary of the Party Committee of Lucaogou Town, said. In 2010, Sigong Village developed lavender industry, established Yinongxiang Cooperative, introduced essential oil processing enterprises, and gradually formed a characteristic industrial chain from planting, development and sales to the later stage of lavender straw recycling and turning waste into treasure. More than 300 farmers changed from "flower farmers" to "flower merchants".

　　In Sigong Village, Lucaogou Town, Huocheng County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, various lavender products, such as essential oil, dried flowers, pillows and so on, are placed in the lavender handmade specialty shop run by villager Ma Zhongliang (photo taken on May 17). Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei photo

　　"Lavender essential oil is the most popular in the store, and tourists from Guangzhou and Shanghai have the highest evaluation." Ma Zhongliang said. With the increasing added value of lavender, in 2022, the per capita income of 718 villagers in Sigong Village was 22,000 yuan, about 2,000 yuan higher than that of the whole town.

　　The ever-expanding flower industry chain is expanding the path for more people to get rich. Despite 20 years of experience in planting corn and peach trees, Yang Yulan, a farmer in Taohua Village, Daxigou Township, Huocheng County, has put down her "housekeeping skills" and is busy around the hotel room. "The land has flowed out, and now her mind is on the hotel."

　　In Taohua Village, Daxigou Township, Huocheng County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, villager Yang Yulan tidied up the guest room in the hotel (photo taken on May 17). Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei photo

　　Every April, when apricot blossoms and peach blossoms are in full bloom, the Chinese Fushou Mountain Scenic Area in Huocheng County is crowded with people. Because of its proximity to the scenic spot, Taohua Village has always been popular. However, due to the single tourism products and lack of matching in the past, tourists stopped because of the shipwreck of flowers.

　　In order to change the "flow" into "reserve", in 2020, Taohua Village explored a new format of increasing tourism income, introduced enterprises to implement infrastructure renovation, starry sky tents and other projects, and encouraged local villagers to actively participate in the renovation of homestays to meet the needs of tourists for eating, living, traveling and entertainment.

　　In Taohua Village, Daxigou Township, Huocheng County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, tourists dressed in Hanfu filmed short videos in a hotel (photo taken on May 17). Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei photo

　　"Being a farmer all my life, I never thought I could make money from outside the land." Yang Yulan said frankly that she was not enthusiastic about the business of Zhang Luo B&B at first, but since 2021, the number of tourists in the village has gradually increased, catching up with the summer tourist season, and a large number of tourists go to the B&B for consumption, bringing her about 50,000 yuan in tourism income every year. At present, Taohua Village has built 22 theme homestay courtyards, which has led to more than 40 local jobs and an annual per capita income of 2,000 yuan.

　　As the "flower economy" continues to heat up, more and more farmers leave their homes and become industrial workers. In the summer, we walked into the Tianshan Huahai Scenic Area in Yining County, where peony and flax flowers were in full bloom, and workers were stepping up weeding and maintenance in the field.

　　Workers are weeding the flower fields in Tianshan Huahai Modern Agriculture Demonstration Park in Yining County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang (photo taken on May 18). Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei photo

　　In 2017, Yining County introduced the Yili Tianshan Huahai Modern Agriculture Demonstration Park project, and built it into a well-known local scenic spot with the integration development model of primary, secondary and tertiary industries. Gao Shaochun, deputy general manager of Ili Tianshan Huahai Tourism Development Co., Ltd., introduced that at present, the base has cultivated more than 10 kinds of flowers and 20,000 mu of characteristic forest fruits, and enriched the employment form of farmers through the operation of planting, sorting, intensive processing and fresh-keeping logistics. "The daily labor consumption in the busy farming season reached more than 2,800 people, providing more than 2,000 fixed jobs."

　　Do a good job of "flowers" and explore new "flowers". Today, Xinjiang’s "flower economy" is gaining momentum and is pushing the "rich door" for more people.

On December 29th, local time, the Italian government approved a decree, which strictly restricted the ships of non-governmental charitable organizations from carrying out illegal boat rescue operations in the Mediterranean, aiming at reducing the number of illegal immigrants entering the coastal areas of Italy. Many international aid groups are dissatisfied with this new regulation, saying that the rescue may be delayed and more illegal immigrants will die.

According to DPA, according to the new regulations, the rescue ship must sail to the designated port immediately after completing a rescue, and cannot continue to rescue other ships in distress carrying illegal immigrants at sea; Usually, the rescue boat will find a port to dock after rescuing a number of migrants in distress. Violation of the new regulations will result in a fine of up to 50,000 euros. If the regulations are repeatedly violated, the rescue boat may be confiscated or detained.

In addition, the new regulations require the rescued person to indicate whether he intends to apply for asylum, which European Union country to apply for asylum, and fill in the application materials before disembarking.

Among the main smuggling routes into the EU, Italy is the main entry point from North Africa to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. These illegal immigrants often cross the sea in crowded and crude boats, and many people die halfway.

The Associated Press quoted data from the Italian Ministry of the Interior as saying that more than 103,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in Italy this year, an increase of 55% over the same period last year.

According to the Italian government, the reason why the actions of civilian rescue boats are restricted is because such actions attract more illegal immigrants to embark on the road of smuggling, which actually provides convenience for smugglers in the Mediterranean. In November this year, the Italian government once refused to dock two rescue boats carrying hundreds of rescued people, which triggered criticism.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia meloni said at the year-end press conference on the 29th that the new regulations will make those NGOs that carry out the rescue of migrants at sea act in accordance with international law.

In addition to the new regulations, the ports of call designated by the Italian government are moving farther and farther north, away from the smuggling routes of immigrants.

The European humanitarian relief agency "Mediterranean Emergency Help Organization" said on the 29th that its rescue ship "Viking at Sea" rescued 113 people from an overloaded rubber boat two days ago, including many pregnant women, three newborns and 30 unaccompanied children, and is now heading for the northern Italian port city of Lavaine. It is far from the central Mediterranean route and takes four days to arrive.

Oliver Kulikovski, from the German Ocean Watch, said that the new Italian regulations will lead to more drowning incidents. "If more people are in distress at sea and rescue boats are forced to enter the port, it will violate the rescue obligation.".

In recent years, the tide of smuggling has intensified, and Mediterranean countries such as Italy, Cyprus, Greece and Malta have been under pressure. They criticized other EU countries for not fully fulfilling their commitments in sharing the burden of accepting illegal immigrants.