Farmers in Yunzhou district, Datong city, Shanxi province harvest daylilies on July 16, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Despite only having three hours of sleep, Yang Qi still had boundless excitement when talking about daylilies.

It's harvest season for the nutritious yellow flowers. Farmers in Yunzhou district of Datong city in Shanxi province wake up at 3 am and work until 8 am to cultivate the freshest tasting daylilies, an important ingredient in Chinese cooking.

"You may not believe it, but daylilies helped over 50 families in my home village, Xiayujian village of Yunzhou district, get rid of poverty. Now daylily planting has become a main industry in Yunzhou district, and our products have been sold across the country," Yang said.

Farmers in Yunzhou district, Datong city, Shanxi province harvest daylilies on July 16, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Earlier in 2011, the government of Yunzhou district launched a series of supportive policies to support daylily planting, including offering farmers subsidies and insurance, to promote the industry and help with poverty alleviation.

Hearing the news, Yang lobbied over 50 families in poverty in his village and set up a daylily plantation cooperative. They rented land of over 500 mu (33 hectares), standardized the plantation process, and improved product quality for better sales.