Local beneficiaries

In 2015, as a growing number of tourists began visiting Xinxian, Cen opened a resort on the farm. Last year, the resort, which has more than 10 guest rooms, received about 150,000 tourists, and the number has surpassed 200,000 so far this year.

Many changes have occurred thanks to the continuing success of Cen's business. The farm has helped lift more than 500 families out of poverty, and many new houses have been built as a result of rising local incomes.

Zheng Chunxia is one of the beneficiaries. Before the farm was founded, she had no way of making money, so her family of four relied on funds provided by her husband, who was a migrant worker in a distant town. Now, Zheng is among the 150-plus locals who work full time for Cen's company.

"At the beginning, I worked on the farm. Now, I work as a cook at the resort. I can make 40,000 to 50,000 yuan a year while caring for my younger son, who is 17 and in senior high school," said the 48-year-old, whose older son is at university.

She said she used to have to walk along muddy mountain roads for about 30 minutes to catch a bus, but now all the roads are sealed thanks to Cen's company, and the bus stops right outside her home.

According to the county government, by mid-May, more than 17,000 Xinxian natives who once lived outside the county as migrant workers had returned and started business, with many of them involved in organic farming.