The orchid industry worth over eight million yuan in Lemei Village of south China's Hainan Province has been increasing incomes of the local 124 households since the village shook off poverty in late 2019 amid growth of the industry.

The 124 households in Lemei Village, of which 102 were impoverished back in 2014, worked together to build and upgrade their own orchid industry under leadership of the village's first secretary Wang Lianchun who was sent by Hainan University.

The villagers' average annual income reached 15,600 yuan by the end of 2019, meaning the whole village was out of poverty.

The villagers have built new housing while enjoying upgraded facilities including a clean drinking water system and new roads, as well as 110 toilets built by the local government.

Villager Fu Juzhen built her new residence with three bedrooms using a government subsidy of 55,000 yuan. Her husband and she are working at the village's orchid industrial park.

"My husband and I work at our village's orchid industrial park. Our incomes are okay. Our monthly salaries together reach 6,000 to 7,000 yuan," said Fu.

"Our working team cannot stay in the village forever. So we have been helping the villagers to form a working team by themselves. We have chosen a business with high market demand, but we must produce good-quality orchids so that we can sell them. There were many difficulties, but the poor households had to create a business that is totally owned by themselves. How did we do that? We just achieved it step by step," said Lemei Village's first secretary Wang Lianchun.

Wang used to spend one month working for an orchid-producing company to learn the techniques.

He also helped local villagers get the opportunity to learn relevant techniques and technologies in China's Yunnan Province and Thailand.

"That was a special opportunity. I was amazed by the dozens of hectares of beautiful flowers with different types, and decided to engage in the business on the way back," said villager Fu Xian.

Wang said the village is expanding its orchid industry based on market demand.