Qilihe has been widely recognized as the hometown of lily flowers. Thanks to a favorable local environment, the district has become a major production base of lilies. The total plantation area has now surpassed 52,000 mu (34,840 hectares) and the village of Yuanjiawan in Xiguoyuan township has a history of planting lily flowers for more than 400 years.
Early in December 2001, former State Administration for Industry and Commerce conferred a trademark of Lanzhou Lily Flowers on Qilihe, in recognition of its glorious history in the planting of lily flowers. The former General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine launched a long-term protective initiative on the plantation areas of lily flowers in Lanzhou in September 2004.
So far, Qilihe has become the largest certified plantation base for the export of lily flowers in China.
