Xia Haibin and his wife, Fu Xiaoping, are farmers in Lannichong, a village in Doushanhe, a township in Xinxian, a county in Xinyang, a city in central China's Henan Province. The couple established their family farm in 2014. They live prosperous lives, thanks to their wisdom and hard work. They also help bring prosperity to the other villagers. In May, Xia's family was selected a National Most Beautiful Family.

Supporting Each Other

Xia and Fu met in 2007. "My father had been ill for many years. At that time, my family lived in poverty. I told Fu she might suffer hardships if she married me. However, she told me she feared no hardship. She said if we worked hard, our lives would become better and better," Xia recalls. He and Fu wed that year. 

In 2012, Xia and Fu quit their jobs in the city, and they returned to Lannichong. They hoped to earn a living while also looking after their parents. They began farming. At first, they raised chickens, pigs and fish. Then, they contracted land to grow crops. 

Xia participated in many training sessions, especially those involving agricultural technologies, so he could learn scientific methods of growing crops. As a result, he has grown into a "new farmer," one who has mastered the advanced techniques of agricultural-machine operation, pest control and crop cultivation. Other farmers in the village sing his praises, as an able person. 

Given Xia's success in the agricultural industry, the couple in 2014 established their family farm, in the village, to grow high-quality rice. Fu also runs a small restaurant near their home. To achieve their goal of living prosperous lives through hard work, they were busy all day — every day.

One day, during the winter of 2020, Xia injured his hands in a machine-related accident. He had to be hospitalized in the city. Every day, Fu visited Xia, operated the restaurant, and took care of their children and elderly relatives. "At that time, my wife looked thin and tired. However, she still coped with all kinds of things, and with a smile. I was deeply moved by her dedication," says Xia. 

Xia and Fu work hard, and they support each other. Fu takes good care of her parents-in-law. Xia and Fu have set a great example in being diligent and showing filial piety toward the elderly. Influenced by their parents, their sons, Xia Jinhui and Xia Jinlei, study hard, and they often help their parents complete the household chores. They also help look after their grandfather, who has been bedridden for years by illness.

Ready to Help Others

After Xia and Fu established their farm, they purchased harvesters, micro-cultivators, rice transplanters, plant-protection machines and other agricultural machines. They have substantially reduced operation costs simply by using the agricultural machines. Xia uses the machines to help other farmers in the village. 

"I am very grateful to the local government for its good policies and concrete efforts to support farmers. I hope to play a leading role in the agricultural industry, and to help more people achieve prosperity," says Xia. 

In 2016, Xia joined the Party (Communist Party of China), and he was recognized as the township's model of achieving prosperity through hard work. In 2017, Xia's family farm was chosen the county's first pilot farm for planting ratoon rice (a kind of rice that can be regrown, from the stubble, after the first harvest). In 2018, Xia vacated 100 mu (6.67 hectares) of land, on which he planted two varieties of ratoon rice. He compared the two varieties, so he could select the one best suited for the county. 

As a Party member who has become well-off first, Xia always puts other people in his heart, and he helps bring prosperity to the other villagers. The farm provides jobs to villagers. Xia and Fu have assisted the village committee in planning the village's industrial development, and in promoting the growth of the village's collective economy. The committee has invested in the ratoon-rice-planting industry, and it has registered a trademark for the rice. In 2020, the village established a ratoon-rice-processing factory. The factory not only provides jobs to villagers, it also helps increase the village's income. 

Xia and Fu are ready to help others. When the elderly in the village need to see a doctor in the city, they often volunteer to drive them to the hospital. Xia and Fu are role models, who make good use of science and technology, in promoting the agricultural industry. They have supported each other, and they have made an all-out effort to live happy, prosperous lives.

Photos Supplied by Interviewees

(Source: The Department of Family and Children's Affairs of the ACWF / Women of China English Monthly November 2023 issue)