Editor's note: General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out; " To end poverty, the first step is to end ignorance and illiteracy, also, enriching people’s knowledge must be highlighted in poverty alleviation.
Education is a fundamental solution to the intergenerational transmission of poverty." The Open University of China (OUC) is always committed to leveraging the advantages of its educational system, persistently striving to achieve final success. Through practical exploration, it has forged a path to contribute to rural revitalisation and the development of a leading country in education, creating "an OUC story" in the fight against poverty.
Yuan Guohong, a student majoring in Administrative Management (for Rural Village and Township Management) in the 2020 Class of the OUC, is the founder of Zhangjiajie Xiaobeilou (Small Bamboo Basket) Tourism Culture Communication Co., Ltd. and a member of China Association of Young Rural Entrepreneurial Leaders. He has been honoured as an excellent Party member of non-public economic organizations in Hunan Province, an outstanding volunteer for cultural and tourism services in Hunan Province, an outstanding volunteer in Zhangjiajie City, and a first-prize winner in the OUC's 2022 Economic Management Case Design and Analysis Competition.
Getting to know of the people and discovering entrepreneurial directions
During the 2020 Spring Festival of the epidemic prevention and control period, many fellow villagers working away from home were unable to return to their hometowns. Yuan Guohong, who is always ready to help others, organized a group of compassionate individuals from the community to visit the elderly left behind in the mountain villages. It was in this year that Yuan Guohong became a member of the OUC's grassroots students upon the recommendation of a friend. As he eagerly learned the theories and knowledge related to rural development, he continued to contemplate the path to poverty alleviation and prosperity in his hometown.
During his visits, the local elderly residents warmly received him. They offered homemade specialty foods such as dried sweet potatoes, berry tea, kudzu starch, and preserved meat. These delicacies were not only delicious but also free from harmful substances. However, due to various reasons, these elderly residents found it challenging to take the specialties out of the mountains. Yuan Guohong and other volunteers took it upon themselves to travel through villages and purchase these mountain products, which they helped their fellow villagers sell via their circles of friends. Surprisingly, within just a few months, the sales of these mountain products surpassed 300,000 RMB. This income growth for the villagers not only benefited them but ultimately led Yuan Guohong to discover his own path for rural entrepreneurship.
Leading the way to prosperity and broadening product distribution channels
With the increase in sales of mountain products came problems, such as insufficient production and inconsistent product standards. How could the unique agricultural products of his hometown reach a larger market while ensuring food safety? Just when Yuan Guohong was at a loss, experts and teachers from the OUC stepped in and provided him with timely technical and practical guidance.
In his spare time, Yuan Guohong displayed an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Through textbooks, online courses, fieldwork, and interactions with teachers and fellow students, he broadened his horizons, expanded the scope of his thinking, and acquired the knowledge needed to establish a cooperative, and engage in e-commerce marketing of agricultural products. As a result, in 2021, the Zhangjiajie Xiaobeilou (Small Bamboo Basket) Original Ecological Planting and Breeding Specialized Cooperative came into existence.
Yuan Guohong initially hired the left-behind elderly farmers, who were subsequently supported in establishing family farms through their family members. He founded a planting and breeding specialized cooperative that led local villagers to make the most of their land by cultivating native crops such as sweet potatoes and highland glutinous rice. In 2022, the cooperative established the Xiaobeilou (Small Bamboo Basket) Processing Centre for Agricultural Products. They implemented the “6s” process management, transforming agricultural products into marketable goods and raised the added value of the products by controlling the original planting and breeding of the raw materials, they achieved this by integrating traditional handmade techniques, and implementing industrial and standardized production methods. The cooperative has currently developed a range of products including dried sweet potatoes, sweet potato glutinous rice cakes, sweet potato juice, and more. Simultaneously, they registered a trademark and designed distinctive packaging for “Xiaobeilou” products using bamboo craftsmanship boxes.
With the rising trend of live streaming for product promotion, Yuan Guohong placed e-commerce live streaming cameras in the fields, production workshops, and even in after-sales service, allowing viewers to witness the entire production process of “Xiaobeilou” products through live video feeds. This real-time live broadcasting approach enhanced the visual experience of product marketing and expanded the products’ reach to a wider audience.
Expanding scale and creating a brand matrix
Yuan Guohong, driven by a strong enthusiasm for learning and a thirst for knowledge, did not pause in his progress. Drawing from the theoretical teachings of the OUC teachers and practical exchanges with his fellow alumni and classmates, he identified new opportunities. Yuan Guohong applies what he has learned to practice and engages in proactive innovation, initiating plans for industrial collaboration and expansion. The Xiaobeilou (Small Bamboo Basket) Cooperative made full use of Zhangjiajie's tourism resources, made deep integration with local history and culture, and customized comprehensive services for visitors, including dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment, in response to the needs of urban visitors for health care and wellness needs. Furthermore, the Xiaobeilou (Small Bamboo Basket) Cooperative engaged in partnerships with village enterprises, involving agricultural product processing and the development of rural experiential tourism. Consequently, the scale of rural revitalisation industries continued to grow.
In 2023, Yuan Guohong continued his learning from the undergraduate programme at OUC. He has never forgotten, that he is a child born and raised in the mountains of Wulingyuan in Zhangjiajie. Growing up from “Xiaobeilou”, he remains rooted in the rural areas. Through technological empowerment, e-commerce live streaming, and the integration of agriculture, industry, and services, he continuously works towards his dream of taking the stunning landscapes and local treasures of his hometown to the whole nation, and the world, with “Xiaobeilou”, the small bamboo basket. He is therefore leading his fellow villagers in the pursuit of common prosperity.
By OUC News Network