Fang Shulan is a resident of Baliying, a village in Quanjuyong, a township in Chaoyang, a city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province. One day, earlier this year, she was busy fertilizing Chinese Magnolia vine fruit (a traditional Chinese medicine, also referred to as five-flavor berry) in a field. As she worked, she looked forward to harvesting the fruit, which resembles strings of red lanterns, in the autumn.

To develop Quanjuyong's courtyard economy, in April 2024, the township's government hosted a conference to promote the township's work related to promoting the cultivation of Chinese Magnolia vine fruit. Many of the village's cadres and skilled women producers attended. Fang explained the value of the fruit, and she shared her experiences in cultivating and caring for the plant.

Given the help provided by the work team (appointed by Liaoning Women's Federation to Baliying, to promote rural revitalization), Fang in recent years has achieved sound results in planting the fruit. She now hopes to help rural women to get rich through hard work. 

Cultivating Fruit in Experimental Field

During the past decade, the federation has put much effort into promoting Quanjuyong's rural revitalization. For example, the federation has dispatched many cadres to Baliying, to help promote the village's economic development, and to help villagers solve difficulties in their lives. 

In 2019, the federation conducted an investigation in Baliying, to learn about the development of the village's Chinese Magnolia vine fruit industry. Within a short time, the federation developed a "blood-making" project, under which the federation would help the village achieve the industry's sustainable development. The project is also intended to help villagers increase their incomes. 

Also in 2019, the work team invited Yu Dongxia, General Manager of Zhaoxia Chinese Magnolia Vine Fruit Cultivation Base (in Liaozhong, a district in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province), to visit Baliying, so she could test the village's soil quality. Yu shared her experiences in developing her business with the villagers. As a result, many of the area's farmers gained greater confidence in their ability to get rich by growing the fruit. 

A short time later, Zhang Huicheng, head of the team, led villagers in visiting the base, to learn the essentials and field-management methods of growing the fruit. In late April 2019, under the guidance of workers at the base, the team's members and villagers grew 10,000 seedlings of the fruit in Baliying's experimental field. That success boosted villagers' confidence in getting rich by growing the fruit. Within a short time, several other villagers began helping to cultivate the fruit. 

In 2021, Baliying established a crop-cultivation cooperative, which grows and sells various crops, including corn and the fruit. The cooperative has become a benchmark project (for promoting Quanjuyong's rural economic development). 

Helping Women Increase Incomes 

During the past several years, the team has put much effort into helping the cooperative promote the development of Baliying's fruit-cultivation industry. For example, the team has invited agricultural experts to help workers (at the base) improve their fruit-cultivation skills. The team's efforts have paid off, as the village has reaped bumper harvests of the fruit for three consecutive years. 

Encouraged by the cooperative, some women of Baliying, and in neighboring villages, have attained wealth by growing the fruit during the past three years. The fruit has not only beautified the rural residents' courtyards, but has also helped them increase their incomes. 

During the past several years, the team has made persevering efforts to help farmers (in Baliying and neighboring villages) get rich by growing the fruit. That, in turn, has promoted the villages' rural revitalization.

Photos from Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly June 2024)

Editor: Wang Shasha