In China, people traditionally bring gifts when they visit relatives during the Lunar New Year holiday. This year, Premier Li Keqiang visited residents of a poor village and, of course, also had presents for them.

1. Premier Li offered Spring Festival gifts to people in a poor, mountainous area in Liping county, Southwest China’s Guizhou province on Feb 13. The Premier bought the gifts when visiting a local market to check the supply of produce available during the Chinese New Year holiday period.

He asked detail questions at every stall in the market, and bought some local specialties — pickled fish, rice wine, glutinous rice cakes — which he gave to local residents.

He chose the goods following the recommendations of local vendors, and also asked those who received the gifts if they liked them.

2. Premier Li also brought local residents some nonmaterial gifts.

The Premier asked many questions when he visited a local resident’s home. The villager told him that he was most anxious about the fact that he could not afford to repair his home — and Premier Li asked local leaders to increase efforts to lift the village out of poverty, and told villagers that the government will build new houses for them.

3. A government report released in 2014 said that the authorities should enable another 60 million rural residents to gain access to safe drinking water. The Premier was especially concerned about keeping this promise.

Premier Li asked those in charge of the issue of safe drinking water to fulfill their task — keeping in mind that good quality is a promise made by the government.

4. Two village doctors also received a nonmaterial gift.

Premier Li always stresses the importance of village doctors and, when he met such doctors in Liping, he told them that this year’s newly added basic public health service fee will continue to be allocated as subsidies to increase their income.

5. The Premier met university students and graduates, and asked them to tell him about their biggest problem.

One of the young people replied, saying that student loans cannot be transferred cross-provincially. Premier Li promised that the State Council will research this issue and introduce new policies.

6. Premier Li gave gifts to local people — and they also gave him gifts.

During Li’s visit to the home of the man who could not afford to repair his home, the family of the villager were happy to hear the news about new houses — and his mother offered the Premier a package of homemade glutinous rice cakes. The Premier tried to refuse politely due to the difficulties in the poor family, but finally accepted.