Premier Li Keqiang offered Chinese New Year wishes to locals during his visit to Zhaotong and Kunming in Southwest China’s Yunnan province.

In Yujiadachong village in suburban Zhaotong, Premier Li brought some specialties to the villagers whose houses cannot withstand wind and snow. He called on local governments and residents to work together to shorten the relocation process to improve their living conditions.

Villagers rely on growing corn and potatoes, and some work in cities to earn extra income. The per capita income was only 3,044 yuan ($445) last year, China Daily reported.

The barren land is no longer suitable to live on, and the villagers should be relocated with government support, including favorable policies and funds, Premier Li said.

At the fair where he bought specialties, the Premier called on the local government to protect food safety and ensure a fair market, so that people can enjoy the Chinese New Year.

On Jan 23, Premier Li also visited a reconstructed village in Ludian county, which was devastated by a magnitude-6.5 earthquake in August 2014. More than 600 people died in the disaster.

He acknowledged the progress achieved on the reconstruction and expressed his condolences to the families of victims.

Hearing that some local migrant workers had had their wages withheld, he ordered authorities to help them get the money they deserved.

Special government supervision must be conducted nationwide to solve the back pay problem and protect migrant workers’ legal rights, he said.

The next day, he visited Yunnan Baiyao in Kunming, the capital of the province, which is renowned for making traditional herbal medicine that is effective in stopping bleeding.

He encouraged the company to create more quality herbal medicine and healthcare products, and expand overseas markets to meet people’s rising demand for health.

He told the company’s managers and researchers that craftsmanship and entrepreneurship were the two pillars that had ensured the century-old herbal medicine brand maintained quality and reputation.

Premier Li also listened to a report on the plan for major infrastructure construction in Yunnan province.

The Premier heard a detailed explanation of Yunnan Provincial Energy Investment Group’s use of big data and cloud computing on thermal power and hydropower dispatch.

He then spoke of the need to deepen the electric power system reforms by expanding hydropower resources to more regions, cutting surplus water quantity as much as possible and refining thermal-hydropower systems to improve the efficiency of renewable resources.

After listening to the report, Premier Li stopped by Dounan Flower Market in Kunming and applauded farmers’ hard work.

He then asked the related departments to work on streamlining administration and optimizing services to promote a fair market environment, which will inject new vitality to the industry, increase farmers’ income and generate more jobs.

The Premier later visited the National Southwest Associated University (NSAU) campus, one of the most prominent historical sites in the country.

Premier Li met NSAU’s oldest alumni, who are all aged over 90. He praised their integrity and contribution to the educational undertakings during a critical period in the history of China.

“Education is the foundation of a nation which cannot be compromised at any cost,” Premier Li said.

This year, the number of college graduates in China nationwide hit a record high of 7.95 million. The Premier said more effective measures should be adopted to promote employment and entrepreneurship, to enable graduates to contribute to national development.

Premier Li spoke highly of the social and economic development of Yunnan and expressed hope that it can continue supply-side reforms, moderately expand aggregate demand, and promote new-types of industrialization and urbanization, while speeding up the shift from old growth engines to new ones.