Relying on scientific free-range chicken farming, strong woman Xiang Zailan leads the whole village to prosperity together

"This year our chilies did well, and next year we plan to add another 60 mu!" Looking at the more than 40 mu of bright red chilies that her cooperative had worked so hard to grow, villager Xiang Zailan could not hide her inner joy.

Xiang Zailan, a native of Tianyin Village, Duping Town, Zhenyuan County, Guizhou, is a strong woman in her 40s. For many years, she has taken root in the countryside and, with her own pair of hardworking hands, has written a different kind of life for herself on the road to prosperity.

[10 years of hard work = wealth + character]

During more than 10 years of working away from home, Xiang Zailan and her husband struggled hard while also caring for the elderly and children. They saved every penny and accumulated some savings, so the couple returned home together. At first, they peddled goods in their own town and nearby townships, earning a living mainly by selling chickens, ducks and the like. Later, she felt that this small-scale way of doing business could not meet the growing needs of her family, so by watching television and reading relevant books, she decided to rely on the local advantages of green mountains and clear waters and a location near mountains and rivers to develop an ecological industry.

No sooner said than done. She and her husband invested their own money and took the lead in raising free-range chickens and goats on a large scale in their group. When funds were insufficient, they took out loans from the credit union; when space was insufficient, they rented from neighbors. In order to obtain better breeding technology and support, she often ran to the county and the town, actively seeking materials and funds. With the support of higher authorities and the local Party committee and government, after two months of bustling preparation, her free-range chicken farm was finally built. However, nothing goes smoothly all the time. In the first few months, her family's free-range chickens grew very well, but later, for some unknown reason, dozens of her chicks suddenly died. This worried her terribly. Not caring about the darkness or the distance, she called her husband and rushed to the town, pestering them until she brought in a specialized technician to diagnose the problem on site, thereby avoiding greater losses.

After that, she became even more careful, caring for the chicks like her own children, strictly controlling every step: cleaning, washing, disinfecting and feeding. With careful attention to every link and with her meticulous care, over the course of a year her family's free-range chickens reached a market rate of more than 8,000 birds, and she sold more than 5,000 free-range chicken seedlings, with a net income of nearly 100,000 yuan. Xiang Zailan also became a well-known leader in becoming prosperous, and in 2010 she was rated as a "Free-Range Chicken Science and Technology Demonstration Household" by the local Party committee and government.

[3 years of practice + warm-heartedness = people's hearts]

She did not forget her hometown people after becoming prosperous; she wanted to lead the whole village to prosperity together. During the slack farming seasons, she went from house to house, explaining free-range chicken breeding techniques to her neighbors and mobilizing villagers to join her ranks. When necessary, she even invited villagers to her home for on-site observation. Hard work pays off. In 2012, under her leadership, in just two short years, her first breeding cooperative with 20 households was finally established. After actively seeking support from the agricultural department, the cooperative had more than 14,000 free-range chickens, more than 2,000 ducks, more than 1,000 geese and more than 80 goats. Xiang Zailan was eager to help cooperative members. Not only did she first provide seedlings and technology free of charge, but when necessary she often went deep into the homes of breeders to provide hands-on guidance, and she also served as a volunteer epidemic prevention worker, carrying a medicine box from village to village and household to household, delivering services to every cooperative member's home. Cooperative member Yuan Wanbin raised more than 200 free-range chickens. Because he did not understand breeding techniques and did not know how to operate when injecting vaccines into the chicks, he had no choice but to call Xiang Zailan. Upon receiving the call, Xiang Zailan said nothing, put down the work in her hands and rushed to Yuan Wanbin's home late at night to help inject the vaccines. By the time the job was done, it was already 12 midnight. Xiang Zailan also formed a paired assistance relationship with Yuan Wanbin. Whenever Yuan Wanbin had difficulties, Xiang Zailan rushed to the scene at the first opportunity, whether day or night. With her help, Yuan Wanbin's free-range chickens grew well. Yuan Wenbin was very grateful and said to everyone he met: "This is Sister Xiang's contribution."

In addition, he also actively helped more than 10 households including Chen Zumin and Han Mingliang from neighboring villages, paying out of his own pocket to solve some of their practical difficulties. In order to let more villagers learn a practical farming and breeding technique, she even funded it herself and invited experts to lecture to cooperative members. This won unanimous praise from cooperative members and the surrounding masses.

[Visions for the coming year = enthusiasm + perseverance]

Now, Xiang Zailan is still active in the fields as a leader, together with cooperative members, tending to her own enthusiasm and perseverance. In her words: "As long as I can be given a project, I will carry it out seriously!" At present, she has set her sights on several idle greenhouses in the village and is preparing to secure them, thereby leading more villagers, expanding the planting area and striving for greater returns.

This is the kind of strong woman with a keen eye and quick action. As long as she identifies a project as promising, she actively pursues it; as long as she obtains a project, she actively implements it. When her own entrepreneurial efforts have succeeded, she can still, with confidence in herself and benevolence toward others, extend projects to her neighbors and lead villagers to prosperity together. That extraordinary feeling of an ordinary common person has taken root and sprouted deep in the mountains and deep in the hearts of the common people, and is now blooming in brilliant colors.