Jiao Yuhai, a senior citizen in his seventies from Changchun, the capital city of Northeast China's Jilin province, is about to harvest crops planted on his balcony.

Grown up in a rural area, Jiao never forgets the happiness of planting and harvesting. After retirement, he started to plant different types of crops. For him, this not only helps him exercise and keep healthy, but also enables him to enjoy food grown by himself.

This year, Jiao tried to plant rice in old boxes and plastic sheets. He has harvested more than 15 kilograms of rice from 15 boxes.

Jiao Yuhai checks out the rice grown on his balcony on Oct 21. Jiao has harvested more than 15 kilograms of rice grown in used boxes and plastic sheets on his balcony this year. [Zhang Nan/Xinhua]

On Oct 21, Jiao Yuhai reads a textbook on rice planting in order to improve his cultivation techniques. [Zhang Nan/Xinhua]