Premier Li Keqiang chats with a group of ethnic Hui people on Tuesday at the Najiahu Mosque in Yongning county, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo/English.gov.cn]

At age 50, Yang is the association's youngest vice-president and has been studying the Quran for 34 years.

On hearing this, the premier encouraged him to combine his understanding of the Quran with the situation in Ningxia.

The region is home to the largest ethnic Hui community in China, which comprises 35.5 percent of the population in Ningxia. The ethnic Hui group is also one of China's largest such groups that believes in Islam.

Yang Zhibo, vice-president of the China Islamic Association, said he was pleased when he learned about Li's visit to the mosque and was excited about the government's encouragement for the care of ethnic groups in China.

He said he hoped the government would strengthen its efforts to tackle poverty in the northwest of the country, which is home to a majority of China's ethnic groups that believe in Islam.

Wang Qingyun contributed to this story.