Lotus flowers planted by Chien Fu-chuan at his farm in Lianhua village in Xiamen, Fujian province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In the following years, he made every effort to build a planting base with an area of 8 hectares.

The sandy soil in the village wasn't suitable for growing lotus flowers, so he spent over three years improving the land quality.

Good lotus flowers require good water for cultivation, so he toiled to introduce mountain spring water.

His perseverance led to success.

With over 600 varieties of lotus flowers, the base has become an educational resource for many schools in the area.

The high-quality lotus flowers he planted and related products, such as lotus tea and facial masks, are well-received in the markets.

"The agricultural market in the Chinese mainland is vast, with many favorable policies, which gives me confidence in long-term development," he said. "I'm integrating my lotus flower bases across the country, with Xiamen as the core, to establish a cross-Strait youth agricultural technology incubation center."

"I hope more young people can learn and practice, finding their direction and methods in the lotus flower industry via the platform," he added.