The entrance of Jiuli Lake Scenic Spot is decorated with colorful windmills. [Photo by Shen Weibin/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Walking along the winding road around Jiuli Lake Scenic Spot, the delegation of reporters from across Fujian, Southeast China, kept saying wow to the misty and picturesque views.

Located at the northeast corner of Xianyou county, Jiuli Lake Scenic Spot features a harmonious integration of the lake, caves, waterfalls and impressive stones.

It is also the subject of a tale about how it got its name, Jiuli, which means nine carp in Chinese. The tale goes that during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, nine brothers surnamed He gathered here to practice alchemy, the ancient Chinese medicinal refining technique.

They kept practicing and after years of work, just as they finally worked out the medicinal essence, nine carp jumped out of the lake, flew into the sky, and became immortals.

Xu Xiake, a famous traveler and geographer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), even ranked Jiuli Lake as one of the top three natural views in Fujian province, along with Wuyi Mountain and Yuhua Cave.

Xianyou county has been endeavoring to speed up its rural development in recent years. It combines natural scenery with advanced development ideas, and by putting together rural tourism, modern agriculture, and targeted poverty alleviation, has seen steady growth in its economy and local residents living better and better lives.