The Thriving Power of Knowledge

The essential values of socialism lie in eliminating poverty， achieving common prosperity， and improving the livelihood for all people in China. This book selects the stories of over 50 women who have become role models in shaking off poverty or who have helped others in this endeavor. These touching and motivating stories show achievements by women in poverty relief efforts under the guidance and help of the Communist Party of China， Chinese government departments， and Women’s Federations at different levels.

Diligence and Happiness： Stories of Chinese Women Shaking Off Poverty

China Women Publishing House

Compiled by Liaison Department of the All-China Women’s Federation Social Liaison， Liaison Department of the All-China Women’s Federation

Translated by Wu Biyu and Hua Jing

January 2020

128.00 （CNY）

Liang Hongxiao is busy working every day. Her jobs include arranging workers for four fruit tree nursery bases， completing the daily work schedule， phoning possible customers， preparing for lectures of fruit tree planting techniques， and so on.

A graduate of Hebei Agriculture University who majored in forestry and the fruit industry， Liang Hongxiao was eager to utilize her knowledge for the prosperity of her hometown. Therefore， she gave up her highly-paid job in another province， returning to Pingshan and starting her own business. At the very beginning， it occurred to her that an agricultural cooperative， a cooperative economic organization closely connected to farmers， would be a good choice. In 2013， after a series of actions including leasing， replacing， shareholding， and collaborating， she successfully established the Tianyu Professional Cooperative of Fruit Seedlings in Pingshan County with 1，180 mu （one mu equals 0.1647 acre） of land and three agricultural bases. Now， there are over 50，000 high-quality plants across the bases， such as thin-shelled walnuts， apples， and peaches and four modern nursery gardens with around one million seedlings across a total 150mu.With professional knowledge， she has carried out a great deal of research on plant cultivation technology and entrepreneurship innovation， thanks to which the organic matter content of the soil， the number of trees planted per unit area and survival rate of plants in mountainous regions are improved and the trees have better ventilation and light transmission conditions with fewer occurrences of pests and disease. Consequently， the price of walnuts， which are now of better quality， has increased by nearly 40%. She also formed， demonstrated， and promoted a labor-saving technical cultivation support system for producing high-quality walnuts to save costs， increase yield and generate more income. She obtained a patent for walnut seedling propagation technology， leading to a 10% growth in the grafting rate of walnut seedlings， and adopted a model of “co-op + bases + "farmers” in the agricultural cooperative， supporting large numbers of women and other underprivileged groups.

Liang also helped 22 nursery households in the four towns （Wangpo， Pingshan， Sanji and Gangnan in Pingshan County） develop their fruit tree industry through approaches like industrial integration and technical assistance. The total cumulative industrial area has reached 1，138 mu， with a radiating area of 3，000 mu. The base provides jobs for women in surrounding rural areas all year round. Currently， there are 30 production workers and more than 40 leaders devoted to leading women in rural areas to prosperity with technology， who have helped 1，500 rural women generate more income.

Jiao Liping is only one of the rural women who received help from Liang. For instance， Liu Huaqin from Xiayu Village has cooperated with Liang to set up a base focused on apple and walnut planting.

Two underprivileged rural women， Xie Shuhua and Wang Shiju from Gangnan Town， increased their income after signing a contract and planting seedlings with the help of Liang. Many farmers who lack technology or capital voluntarily join Liang’s agricultural cooperative and work with her. Liang offers them seedlings and technology for free， and also sends free samples of organic pesticides to farmers， which solves the problem of plant pest control and ensures the quality and safety of the fruit. Such acts have been well received by members of the co-op.

The Tianyu Professional Cooperative of Fruit Seedlings is growing strong. Both the base and Liang herself have won many awards. Nevertheless， Liang never loses sight of her initial goal， which is to help more farmers shake off poverty. Now， her dream grows ever larger. She expects to create a fruit brand specific to Pingshan County and lead her hometown to realize the Chinese dream of common prosperity.