Just hours after Gao Derong, a wheat-breeding expert, took part in a group interview on Thursday morning as a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, he was recognized and greeted by President Xi Jinping in a deliberation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

"You were on TV today, weren't you? I've remembered your name," Xi said, as Gao, from the Lixiahe Agricultural Research Institute in Jiangsu province, began to speak.

Having witnessed firsthand how Fusarium head blight, known as the "cancer of wheat", ravaged wheat fields in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Gao dedicated himself to wheat breeding and has spent more than three decades working in the fields.

He told Xi that after countless crossbreeding attempts and repeated trials, his team had successfully developed high-yield, disease-resistant wheat varieties.

"How large an area have your varieties been planted on?" Xi asked, showing close attention to the issue. "Which regions are most prone to severe outbreaks of Fusarium head blight?"

When he heard that Jiangsu's wheat planting area stands at about 2.4 million hectares, Xi nodded and said: "The seed industry is of utmost importance. To strengthen agriculture, we must strengthen the seed industry."

A single seed carries special significance for a country of more than 1.4 billion people. Gao said during the deliberation that he would continue to breed better varieties that meet production needs and are welcomed by farmers, in order to contribute more to invigorating China's seed industry and keeping the Chinese people's rice bowl firmly in their own hands.

Yet agricultural modernization is not confined to laboratories. It is also taking shape in the fields, ponds and villages of rural China.

Shi Zhijun, a deputy from Huai'an, Jiangsu, spoke about the development of the crayfish industry in Xuyi county.

A new breed called "Xuyi No 1" has boosted average weight by more than 18 percent, Shi said. About one-sixth of the county's population is now engaged in crayfish-related industries, which account for 32.5 percent of rural residents' income.

"Crayfish have grown into a major industry," Xi said with a pleased smile.

In Xuyi, crayfish have linked up industrial chains covering farming, processing, e-commerce and catering. Crayfish have indeed grown into a local specialty brand and represent a microcosm of the development of industries with distinctive local features in China.

In advancing Chinese modernization, China places equal emphasis on material progress and cultural-ethical advancement.

Yang Hengjun, a deputy from Desheng village in Jingjiang, Jiangsu, told Xi that residents of the once-impoverished village are now not only better off financially, but also enjoy richer cultural and community life.

"In recent years, as various sporting events have gained popularity, more villagers have started watching soccer and taking part in sports," Yang said.

Xi replied: "From what you have described, the village's economic conditions have improved, and at the same time, you are paying attention to cultural-ethical progress. That is very important."

He added that in rural areas, it is not enough to merely solve the problem of food and clothing.

"People must become better off," Xi said. "But material prosperity alone is not enough either. Great importance must be attached to promoting cultural-ethical progress in rural areas, strengthening education, transforming outdated customs and practices, and advancing cultural development."

mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn