Under Xi's watch, China's sunshine island basks in warmth of opening up

COMING UP ROSES

In his 2013 visit, Xi dropped in on a small village named Bohou and made a statement that later became a catch phrase -- "whether Xiaokang is realized or not, only the ordinary folks can tell."

"Xiaokang," a moderately prosperous society, is set to be achieved by 2020 and one key indicator is the elimination of absolute poverty.

Bohou village has changed a lot since Xi visited five years ago. Since the president's visit, about 20 cooperatives have started running 70 hectares of rose plantations, earning the area the nickname of "rose valley."

"Five years ago I earned about 1,800 yuan a month. Now I make more than 3,000," said Bohou villager Huang Qi'na. She also leases out her family land for about 10,000 yuan a year.

Thanks to advances in agriculture, for the first time the annual per capita income of rural residents in all counties of Hainan exceeded 10,000 yuan in 2017.

About 617,000 residents, including all villagers of 517 villages, have been lifted above the poverty line over the past five years.

For the "ordinary folk" of Bohou village, Xiaokang is now just around the corner.