Villagers are seeing their lifestyles improve as the birds become increasingly popular as a source of food and leisure fun. Li Hongyang reports from Turpan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Nearly all the residents of a village in Turpan city, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, have pigeon cages on the roofs of their single-story houses.

For about a century, people in Xinchengximen bred the birds as a hobby, but over the past year, they have developed their pastime into an industry that is raising residents' incomes.

"Pigeons are easy to raise. They eat less than chickens, but grow faster. Turpan has a hot, dry climate, which pigeons like," said villager Mehmut Memet, who began breeding the birds when he was 7.

It usually takes a fledgling 30 days to reach full adulthood, while newly hatched chicks need about 90 days, the 41-year-old said.

In the village, most of the residents－98 percent of them are members of the Uygur ethnic group－began keeping pigeons during childhood because their fathers, uncles and grandfathers raised the birds as a leisure activity.

"Pigeons are cute. They can recognize the people who feed them and will gather around them. I used to climb to our roof after school to play with the birds," Mehmut said.

He added that breeding the birds is a highly profitable activity as some types are sold for their meat, while others are simply ornamental.

Despite Turpan's long history of pigeon breeding, a lack of technology and techniques prevented previous generations from developing it into a major source of income, according to Askar Memet, the village Party chief.

"People can earn enough money to provide for a family of four for a month by selling just nine pigeons for about 270 yuan ($42) in total. With the money, they can buy a bag of wheat, some meat and a bottle of cooking oil," he said.