In the darkness before dawn, little lights can be seen moving slowly across the landscape, flickering like stars. They are, in fact, the headlamps of workers picking edible flowers for dining tables across the country.

The fields are in Daba village, Yanchi county, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, and the flower is the daylily. Planted on 320 hectares of farmland -- equivalent to 450 soccer fields -- the daylilies will be disinfected by steaming, then dried and delivered to customers for consumption.

Located on the southern edge of the Muus Sandland, one of the largest expanses of sandy soil in China, Yanchi was once counted among the country's poorest counties. Annual precipitation in the county is only 280 mm, which is much less than the average precipitation for China as a whole, which stood at 645.5 mm in 2019.

By growing drought-resistant plants such as daylily flowers, local farmers have created a greener landscape while ensuring a bountiful harvest.

Su Yuan, 28, gets up at 2 am every day, takes the shuttle bus organized by the daylily farm and picks flowers till noon.

"We have to finish picking by noon, as the flowers become inedible once they are in full bloom," she said.

Su is a kindergarten teacher in the neighboring county of Tongxin. With school suspended due to the COVID-19 epidemic, she has been furloughed for some time, and the daylily picking provides a valuable extra source of income.