OUC students are rooted in many professions, police officers, diligent industrial workers, rural entrepreneurs leading villagers to prosperity, healthcare workers guarding lives, border defence soldiers, and courageous individuals overcoming disabilities, to name just a few. The "Honour Rolls" series brings you closer to outstanding students, showcasing their excellence and the spirit of perseverance.
GENG Shilong is a student in the Business Administration (undergraduate) programme at the Open University of China (OUC) and a recipient of the 2024 OUC Scholarship. He currently serves as the General Manager of Ning'an Limin Chinese Herbal Medicine Technology Co., Ltd. and Heilongjiang Zhencaotang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. His honours include “National Youth Pioneer in Rural Revitalisation”, “National Rural Youth Leader in Prosperity Creation”, “Heilongjiang Provincial Model Worker”, and “Outstanding Leader in Rural Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Heilongjiang Province”.
GENG Shilong is an outstanding practical rural talent and a new‑type professional farmer in Heilongjiang Province. He registered for the OUC in 2021 and formally began his studies in March 2023. During his studies, he balanced entrepreneurship with learning. He systematically studied specialised knowledge in rural policy, industrial management and marketing, and completed all courses with a rigorous and pragmatic attitude. In his professional life, GENG has been deeply engaged in the Chinese herbal medicine industry for more than ten years. He has innovated a development model of “company + cooperative + base + growers”, expanding the cultivation area of Chinese medicinal herbs to 48,000 mu (about 3,200 hectares), lifting 200 impoverished households out of poverty, providing 67,000 person‑times of employment, and increasing farmers' income by over 3,000 yuan per mu.
In addition, he actively participates in the building of industry associations and social welfare initiatives. Through his actions, he has demonstrated the spirit of “diligent learning, steadfast action, responsibility and dedication” that defines characteristic of open education students in the new era. He stands as an exemplary model of transforming knowledge into momentum for rural development.
Diligent Learning and Steadfast Action: Building a Solid Foundation for Entrepreneurship through Open Education
“To make rural industries bigger and stronger, scientific enterprise management thinking is indispensable.” This was GENG Shilong's original intention in applying to the OUC. After graduating from junior high school, he went out to work. After he returned to his hometown in 2014 to devote himself to the Chinese herbal medicine industry, he deeply realised his shortcomings in areas such as standardised enterprise operation, team management, market strategy and financial control. In 2021, when he learned that the OUC offered a Business Administration programme for working professionals, he immediately registered and embarked on a path of “busy with the industry by day, diligent study by night”.
To transform his learning outcomes into tangible results in industrial development, GENG Shilong took the lead in building a dual‑driven sales system combining brand and channel. He registered a brand, connected e‑commerce platforms with offline dealer networks, and brought Ning'an's Chinese medicinal herbs to the national market. He improved the efficiency of enterprise capital turnover, established a standardised cost accounting system, and provided solid financial support for industrial expansion. He also improved the talent incentive mechanism for the enterprise and cooperatives, implementing a “technology shares + performance dividends” model, distributing a cumulative total of 1.58 million yuan in dividends to core technical personnel and farmers.
Rooted in the Black Soil: Driving Common Prosperity through Industrial Revitalisation
“It was the black soil of my hometown that nurtured me. I want this land to become a source of prosperity for my fellow villagers.” This was GENG Shilong's oath when he returned to start his business, and it is also the direction in which he applies what he has learned from open education.
In 2014, having achieved some success in running a timber factory elsewhere, GENG Shilong recognised the potential of the Chinese herbal medicine industry in his hometown of Ning'an. He resolutely gave up his outside business and returned home to focus on cultivating Chinese medicinal herbs. From initial small‑scale trial planting to the formation of a complete “planting – processing – sales” industrial chain, the professional studies at the OUC have provided crucial support for his industrial upgrading.
In terms of industrial layout, GENG Shilong applied the SWOT analysis method he learned from the “Enterprise Strategic Management” course to accurately assess the market opportunities and competitive landscape of the Chinese herbal medicine industry, formulating a development strategy of “differentiated competition, large‑scale development, and branded operation”. He integrated once scattered farmer resources, drawing on concepts from “Organisational Behaviour”, optimised the “company + cooperative + base + grower” organisational structure. By clarifying the rights, responsibilities and interests of each entity, he turned the enterprise, cooperatives and farmers into a community of shared interests. WEN Liguo, one of the first farmers to participate in planting, recalled, “Geng Shilong not only taught us planting techniques but also helped us calculate our income clearly. His standardised management gave us the confidence to work hard. Previously, my annual income from growing grain was 50,000 yuan. Now, growing Chinese medicinal herbs, I can earn 150,000 yuan. Our lives are getting better and better.”
To address the weaknesses in the industrial chain concerning the storage and processing of Chinese medicinal herbs, GENG Shilong applied knowledge from his operations management course, investing 60 million yuan to build a 1,324‑mu (about 88 hectares) science and technology demonstration park for the Chinese herbal medicine industry. In 2020, he established a processing factory with an annual processing capacity of 3,500 tonnes. Through standardised production processes and lean management, he increased product added value of the products, enabling farmers to “grow good herbs, sell them well, and increase their income”.
In market expansion and brand building, GENG Shilong used his professional knowledge to construct an integrated “online + offline” sales network, establishing long‑term strategic partnerships with several pharmaceutical companies. He also built his Chinese herbal medicine brand through short videos and e‑commerce live streaming, achieving steady annual sales growth. The enterprises he founded became local leaders in the Chinese herbal medicine industry. After being elected President of the Ning'an Chinese Herbal Medicine Association, he took the lead in formulating local planting standards and industry regulations for Chinese medicinal herbs, promoting the standardised and intensive development of the industry. Leveraging the financial management knowledge gained from open education, he precisely aligned with industrial support policies, scientifically planned the use of funds, and secured multiple government support funds and financial loans, injecting strong momentum into industrial upgrading. He himself has become a benchmark figure for rural revitalisation in Heilongjiang Province.
Steadfast in Original Aspiration: Fulfilling the Mission of Dedication with Responsibility
“The value of an enterprise lies not only in creating profits but also in assuming social responsibility.” GENG Shilong always keeps in mind the responsibility and commitment of a Communist Party member. While developing his industry, he actively participates in university activities and social welfare, giving back to society through his actions. During his studies, he proactively joined the “Rural Revitalisation Volunteer Service Team”, sharing his entrepreneurial experiences on multiple occasions and providing guidance on rural entrepreneurship to fellow students. As a member of the All‑China Youth Federation, he actively participates in academic exchange activities organised by the university, introducing the trends in rural industrial development to teachers and students, and inspiring more young people to devote themselves to rural revitalisation.
In terms of social welfare, GENG Shilong has participated in volunteer services for 11 consecutive years. He actively engaged in rural public welfare initiatives, sponsored impoverished students to complete their education, and proactively donated epidemic prevention materials during the pandemic, giving back to his hometown through concrete actions. As President of the Ning'an Chinese Herbal Medicine Association, he has taken the lead in organising technical training and industrial exchanges, providing free guidance on planting techniques to farmers, promoting the development of the Chinese herbal medicine industry in more areas, thereby expanding the impact of rural revitalisation.
By OUC
Published: 27 April 2026