[Xinhua/Yang Qing]

Wang Ying, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), is secretary of the Party (Communist Party of China) branch of Shijiazi (a village in Chaoyang, a county in Northeast China's Liaoning Province). While leading her e-commerce company to remarkable success, Wang has been working hard to ensure rural residents' well-being. After she completed her graduate studies in Jilin University School of Law (in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin Province) in 2014, Wang gave up opportunities to work in big cities, so she could return to her village to start her own business.

Wang established Xinfa Yongye in July 2015. Within a short time, she and her employees posted ads online to promote farmers' agricultural products. The products sold well in several of China's largest cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. Given the sound development of Wang's company, jobs have been created for more than 40 people.

In 2019, Wang established a vegetable and fruit cooperative in Shijiazi. During the past few years, she has set up more than 30 greenhouses, which she has rented to villagers so they could grow grapes and vegetables. In addition to leading the villagers in cultivating millet and corn, Wang has led her employees in working with members of 13 cooperatives (in other villages in Chaoyang County), to help the rural residents promote sales of their agricultural products (including coarse grains, strawberries, and mature vinegar) online.

Wang has also established agricultural-product-processing workshops and vegetable and fruit storehouses (in the village), to store agricultural products processed by Xinfa Yongye.

Over the years, Wang has not only yielded fruitful results to realize the value of her life, she has also led many rural residents in escaping poverty through hard work. Since she was elected secretary of Shijiazi's Party branch in 2020, Wang has been working hard to improve rural residents' lives. In 2021, she was selected one of China's Top 10 Farmers.

As a deputy to the 14th NPC, Wang is aware she shoulders the great responsibility to help rural residents get rich through hard work. She also tries her best to help rural residents, and her employees, solve difficulties in their lives.

Through investigations, Wang discovered greater efforts have to be made to help farmers change their traditional methods of producing and selling agricultural products, and of attracting young people, including university graduates, to do their bit to promote rural revitalization. During the first session of 14th NPC (held in March), Wang made several proposals to help farmers promote sales of their agricultural products online, and to promulgate preferential policies to attract university graduates to return to their villages to start their own businesses.

With Shijiazi's geographical advantage — the village is close to Nailingao Station, along the Beijing-Harbin (a city in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province) high-speed railway line –– in mind, Wang came up with the idea to promote rural revitalization by helping rural residents rebuild their houses into beautiful inns. "I'll make greater efforts to build our village into a beautiful, prosperous home for the villagers, and to help young people realize their dreams in rural areas," says Wang.

(Women of China English Monthly April 2023 issue)