Flowering Paulownia trees please the eye for people in Central China's Lankao county, but they were more than ornamental trees half a century ago. Photos taken on Saturday show a sea of flowering Paulownia trees in Lankao county, Central China's Henan Province. (Photos: Shi Jiamin/People's Daily)

Located at the last bend of the Yellow River, Lankao county was plagued by sandstorms, soil contamination and floods in the 1960s.

Frequent natural disasters left the area with poor soil and crop failures. Jiao Yulu, then Lankao Party head, led local people in planting Paulownia trees for soil and water conservation.

Paulownia trees have become a symbol of the spirit of Jiao Yulu, who put his heart and soul into the improvement of the local people's lives.

Now the county is a tourist attraction, pulling together agriculture, industrial development and ecological tourism into a fantastical experience for both locals and visitors.