A trendsetting family of farmers lives in Huaxin, a village in Xinzhuang Town, in Changshu, a city in East China's Jiangsu Province. Su Jianping, the head of the family, grasps well traditional agricultural techniques. His wife, Wu Baoying, takes charge of both the field work and the administration of the casual workers on the family's farm. The couple's daughter, Su Jie, and her husband, Su Qi, are both college graduates. Both were born after 1985. Su Jie and Su Qi returned to Su Jie's hometown in 2014, and they became "professional" farmers. Now, the Sus operate a green farm, on which they mainly grow wheat and paddy rice.

When she discusses her understanding of agricultural work and rural revitalization, Su Jie says, "My father has devoted his life to agriculture, and to work on the farmland. Influenced by my parents, since I was a child, I am familiar with agricultural production. Farm work can be exhausting. Farmers have to take the risk of relying on good weather to get a rich harvest. Many people may have imagined that life on a farm should be tranquil and peaceful. But the fact is not so. The majority of farmers, who still work on a farm, are people of former generations. I think every profession is in need of a fresh work force. As a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC), I believe it is my duty to take part in agricultural production, and to make my contribution to help advance rural revitalization."

Good-Quality Products

Su Jie's parents, who work diligently and with fortitude, have had a positive influence on her. Su Jie recalls, when she was a girl, how her father would often leave home early, and return from the farm very late. During the busy season, her mother would also go to the field, to help her husband complete the farm work. Given her parents' diligence, Su Jie says her family has been able to live a better life.

Following the good example set by her father and mother, Su Jie, and her husband, also work hard. During the hottest days in the summer, Su Jie and Su Qi wake up at 4 a.m., to start the day's work. Around 8 a.m., generally, the temperature rises to 38 C (or 100.4 F). Su Jie's face turns red, due to the rising temperature. She sweats much, and she holds a bottle of iced water in her arms to cool her body temperature. The young couple's efforts pay off when they have a good harvest. But, sometimes, they encounter difficulties.

"It rained a lot during one harvest season," Su Jie recalls. "My family harvested 15,000 kilograms of wheat, but we failed to find a dry room to dry the wheat timely. The wheat eventually became mildewed. I asked other families to apply, together, to establish a dry room in our village. We were supported by our village committee, and we built a dry room to better cope with the risks caused by bad weather."

In addition to learning good crop-planting practices from their parents' generation, Su Jie and Su Qi have attended training sessions to improve their agricultural-production knowledge and skills. They registered a brand, Qing Yu, in 2016. Since then, they have produced safe and good-quality agricultural products — wrapped in packaging with their specially made logo — under their farm's brand. They have used organic pesticides and fertilizers, in strict accordance with green-food-production standards. In 2021, they received "green food" certificates for two types of rice produced on their farm.

Growing good-quality agricultural products is not the couple's final goal; in fact, they are always thinking of new and creative ways to market their products. "We have realized that many ordinary families like to purchase agricultural products from our hometown. We not only sell our farm's products, we also help fellow villagers sell their products, such as pears, strawberries, mulberries, chickens, ducks, fish and crabs. They help us as well," Su Qi says.

Su Jie and Su Qi have established WeChat groups to help the farmers communicate with their customers. They collect various products — including fruits, crops and poultry — and receive orders from the customers. The quality of their products earns the growers a good reputation, and the trust of their customers. Some enterprises have ordered products grown by farmers in the couple's hometown.

From a Grain of Rice

Su Jie and her family believe it is important to shoulder their social responsibilities. Since 2021, the family's farm has operated a special "class" for primary and middle school students, and also for younger people. Participants visit the family's farm, and they can work in the field and study basic agricultural knowledge. Su Jie and Su Qi help guide the students as they review the development of agricultural production, which, over the years, has evolved from manual labor to mechanized production. The couple has called on young people to work in the countryside, and to make contributions to rural revitalization.

Su Jie says she and her husband have learned from her parents the virtues of working diligently, living a thrifty life, bearing hardships, and working hard. She says those virtues are deeply embedded in her heart. She hopes to pass those virtues to her offspring. "We want to set a good example for our children, who will inherit our family's virtues of ‘being honest, kindhearted, and working diligently to create wealth.' Meanwhile, we hope to help others and bring them warmth," Su Jie adds.

The family's farm has been designated a "model family's farm," at both the city and provincial level. The farm has also been designated a women's model base of modern agricultural production in Changshu. Su Jie has been named a Jiangsu Provincial March 8th Red-Banner Holder. In May 2022, her family was named a National Most Beautiful Family.

Photos Supplied by Interviewees

(Source: The Department of Family and Children's Affairs of the All-China Women's Federation/Women of China English Monthly April 2023 issue)