In the golden harvest season of autumn, President Xi Jinping greeted farmer Dong Guihong with a warm handshake during his visit to an apple production base in Tianshui city of Gansu province last week.

Amid trees laden with ruby-like Huaniu apples, a specialty fruit of Tianshui, Xi spoke with Dong as well as other apple growers and agricultural technicians. He asked details of the quality and characteristics of Huaniu apples, including the planting techniques, market sales and the daily lives and work of the local farmers.

Responding to Xi's queries, Dong said that since the beginning of spring this year, she has been busy with various work, such as tending apple trees, bagging apples, and laying weed barriers.

"With a daily wage of 110 yuan ($15.49), I can earn more than 30,000 yuan a year," said Dong.

The apple production base visited by Xi boasts about 10,000 hectares of apple orchards, which produced 220,000 tons of fruit in 2023, with a total value of about 600 million yuan. Across the 25 villages involved, the per capita income from the fruit industry exceeded 8,000 yuan last year.

Tianshui's agricultural success is a prime example of how specialty industries have driven China's rural vitalization, an area of great importance to Xi.