China News Service, Taiyuan, August 29th, question: "Post-80s" boy in Datong, Shanxi: "Golden Needle" in hand to conquer the world
Author Hu Jian Ma Jingbo
From a corporate executive with an annual salary of several hundred thousand yuan to a farmer facing the loess, Zhang Shengwei, a 42-year-old young man from Datong, Shanxi, spent 6 years not only bringing a "big reversal" to his life, but also to the elders of his hometown. life has brought about huge changes.
In 1980, Zhang Shengwei was born in an ordinary peasant family in Gudingqiao Village, Jijiazhuang Township, Yunzhou District, Datong City. This remote village is a contiguous poverty-stricken village in the National Yanshan-Taihang Mountains.
Zhang Shengwei at the local returning home youth entrepreneurship base.
Photo by Shang Tiejun
In 1999, Zhang Shengwei was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.
After graduating from college, he became an executive of a metallurgical company with an annual salary of several hundred thousand yuan.
However, this child who grew up on the loess land is not content with the good life, but is thinking about returning to the countryside to lead more rural children like him out of the mountains.
In 2015, Gudingqiao Village began to develop the yellow flower planting industry, encouraging young people working abroad to return to the village to start businesses.
After investigating many yellow flower producing areas and sales channels across the country, Zhang Shengwei decided to return to the village to set up a cooperative to lead the villagers to develop the yellow flower industry to increase their income and become rich.
In the spring of 2016, Zhang Shengwei resigned from the company and took the villagers to work in full swing.
He rushed back to the village non-stop, communicated with the cadres and party members of the two committees of Gudingqiao Village, encouraged them to join first, and then mobilized the villagers to participate.
Soon, Zhang Shengwei raised 500,000 yuan and established a cooperative. He signed a contract for the transfer of land contractual management rights with 358 villagers, and transferred 500 mu of land to plant yellow flowers at a transfer price of 800 yuan per mu of land.
In order to save costs, Zhang Shengwei does everything himself, including planting, field management, picking and processing, drying, packaging... He is everywhere.
After more than a year of hard work, the cooperative has grown to 200 people.
Driven by Zhang Shengwei and the cooperative, a total of 11,500 mu of yellow flowers have been planted in Jijiazhuang Township, forming a 10,000-mu contiguous yellow flower base. The per capita income of farmers has increased from 2,600 yuan in 2017 to 5,500 yuan in 2021.
Zhang takes the yellow flower field as the "anchor point" and the characteristic agricultural sightseeing and picking experience as the "support point", which can attract more than 400 people to visit every day during the peak period.
Photo by Shang Tiejun
Previously, monitoring data from relevant departments showed that the selenium content in the soil in the mountainous area of Jijiazhuang was more than double the World Health Organization standard, which is a huge advantage of Jijiazhuang Huanghua.
After Zhang Shengwei's "tossing", the "Dry Five Seasons" yellow flower brand and the "Jijiazhuang selenium-enriched grains" brand came into being.
Zhang Shengwei took his team to participate in agricultural fairs in the city, provincial and national agricultural fairs... The value of the little yellow flowers doubled and the supply was in short supply.
The comprehensive development of cooperatives has added more income channels for the villagers in the production, purchase, processing, sales and other links.
While developing traditional agriculture and processing industry, Zhang Shengwei turned his attention to tourism and picking. He took the yellow flower field as the "anchor point" and the characteristic agricultural sightseeing and picking experience as the "support point".
At peak times, more than 400 people come to visit every day.
Today, only picking one item has brought about 700 jobs, changing the traditional planting model of simply planting corn, and successfully realizing the transformation of rural industries.
During the harvest season of yellow flowers, Zhang Shengwei watched the "golden needles" that became rich by the roots were picked and packaged, and the joy of harvesting came to his heart.
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