Zhang Cuiyan is a new farmer, and she has a deep affection for apples. After she graduated from college, she chose to return to her hometown, Damao, a village in Zhongwei, a city in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, to grow apples. 

With hard work and her enterprising spirit, Zhang established Ningxia Shenju Agricultural Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd., through which she has focused on developing an entire apple-chain industry. Under her leadership, the company has continuously introduced high-quality apple varieties, advanced technologies and new business models. It has grown into a comprehensive agricultural enterprise.

Childhood Dream 

In 1983, Zhang was born into a farming family. She accompanied her parents to the orchard, to take care of the apple trees, and to town, to sell apples, as a little girl. Nothing pleased her more than buying school supplies, and candy, with money she earned by selling apples.

At that time, a standardized, agricultural-products trading market did not exist in Zhongwei. The fruit growers had just one option: Cart their apples to town early each morning, and then wait for vendors to buy their apples. If vendors rejected their apples, they would have to cart them back. Zhang shared the fruit growers' sadness and sense of helplessness, and she was determined one day to both grow top-quality apples and establish an agricultural-products trading market. 

From the Beginning

After she graduated from college, Zhang turned down an opportunity to stay in the city. Instead, she returned to her hometown to start an apple business. She led fruit growers in sorting and packaging apples, and she negotiated prices with distributors, which gradually increased sales and the prices of apples. In 2008, Zhang established a farmers' cooperative in Damao, and the cooperative helped the farmers increase their combined annual income by approximately 1 million yuan (US $140,845). Zhang's hard work earned her the trust and support of the fruit growers. 

Zhang established Ningxia Shenju Agricultural Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. in 2011. By 2015, she had built the first large-scale, standardized agricultural-products trading market in Zhongwei, and that achieved her childhood dream of providing a well-equipped, fully functional trading place for the area's fruit growers. 

However, being an entrepreneur is never easy. In Zhang's case, the local apple seedlings are prone to aging, not especially disease resistant, susceptible to low productivity, and generally requiring lengthy periods for growth. Further, seedling cultivation is costly. To solve such problems, Zhang and her team continuously retrieved information and conducted research, and discovered a variety (double-virus-free) of apple seedlings. These seedlings are known for being disease resistant, and for dividing cells (meristem) to form new tissue. Zhang and her team imported the variety, and began cross-breeding it to create new varieties, with the end result being higher apple yields. 

Zhang and her team also had to deal with soil-related issues. To solve the problems, including desertification and land degradation, Zhang and her team planted more than 500 mu (33 hectares) of shelter forest in Xigou, a village in Zhongwei. As a result, the soil quality of the area has been improved, which has also promoted the development of the local apple industry. 

With the goal of "improving agricultural efficiency and increasing fruit growers' incomes," Zhang overcame one difficulty after another, and she not only realized her dream, but also helped the area's fruit growers. Her story has become a typical case for promoting entrepreneurship in the region, and her company has also been honored with more than 30 awards. 

Concerned About Local Women

Challenges always exist along the road to success. In 2019, Zhang's company was short of money. With assistance from both the local government and women's federation, Zhang applied for and received a 500,000 yuan (US $70,422) Mother's Entrepreneurship Recycling Fund from China Women's Development Foundation. Since then, Zhang has assisted women, and promoted women's innovation and entrepreneurship. 

In collaboration with Damao's village committee and the local women's federation, Zhang established a "Women's Home," through which she has distributed daily necessities to 53 households in difficulty in the village. 

To encourage women to participate in rural revitalization, Zhang has explained agricultural policies to them. She has also invited professional orchard managers to provide guidance to the women, helping them to continuously improve their professional skills and management abilities. As a result, nearly 720 local women have been motivated to either start businesses or find employment. 

"Watching many women around me go from unfamiliar with mobile phones to mastering e-commerce sales, and being able to talk confidently with customers on video calls, I feel their self-confidence, and I find my work has been very meaningful. No matter how hard it is, I think I will persist in going forward, aiding in rural revitalization, and taking our apples all over the world," Zhang says.

Photos from Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly December 2024)

Editor: Wang Shasha