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.
LI Xueqin is a student in the Administrative Management programme at Huachuan College of Heilongjiang Open University and a recipient of the 2024 OUC Scholarship. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of Huachuan County Xiaohuoban Agricultural and Sideline Products Specialised Cooperative. She has been honoured with titles including "National March 8th Red-Banner Holder," "National Model Wealth Creator," "National Civilised Family," "Heilongjiang Provincial Model Worker," "Heilongjiang Provincial Moral Model," and "Jiamusi Outstanding Communist Party Member."
LI founded the Huachuan County Xiaohuoban Agricultural and Sideline Products Specialised Cooperative in 2017, leading villagers to develop green agricultural product cultivation and deep processing industries. Currently, the cooperative operates 31 product categories including rice, millet, and chilli sauce, with an average annual output value of over 15 million yuan (approx. USD 2.2 million). It has driven 385 farming households to increase their income and achieve prosperity, and has cumulatively donated over 300,000 yuan (approx. USD 44,000) to society. Since enrolling in 2023, LI has persisted in advancing both her studies and her enterprise, applying the management knowledge she has acquired to the standardised operation of the cooperative.
Applying Knowledge to Practice, Empowering Rural Revitalisation Through Learning
LI deeply understands the importance of knowledge for rural entrepreneurship. In 2023, she chose to study at Huachuan College of Heilongjiang Open University. The blended learning approach of open education enabled her to deeply integrate classroom learning with entrepreneurial practice, achieving mutual promotion and common improvement of her enterprise and studies. During her time at the university, she actively participated in various activities and created the short video "A New Farmer's Entrepreneurial Journey," documenting rural revitalisation practices through visual storytelling, which won the Excellence Award in the OUC Short Video Creation Competition.
She not only persists in learning herself but also attaches great importance to improving the overall quality of her team. In 2024, the cooperative invested a cumulative total of 500,000 yuan (approx. USD 73,206) in staff training, organising villagers to participate in various learning, visiting, and training activities to help them shift their mindsets, broaden their horizons, and master professional skills.
LI actively translates learning outcomes into practical measures for promoting cooperative development. She leads farming households in establishing zero agricultural residue bases for rice and soybeans, selecting premium varieties developed by experts at Academician YUAN Longping's workstation to further enhance product taste while ensuring food safety. Meanwhile, she has optimised every link from product packaging, specification setting, operational sales, logistics distribution, after-sales service, to financial management, steering the enterprise toward healthy and sustainable growth. Furthermore, she spearheaded the establishment of a product traceability system, giving consumers confidence in what they eat and buy. These standardised management measures have won widespread market trust for cooperative products, which are now sold across the country.
Rooted in the Black Soil, Leading Fellow Villagers to Common Prosperity
In March 2017, LI led five partners from her hometown to establish the Xiaohuoban Agricultural and Sideline Products Specialised Cooperative. Huachuan County is located in the 47°N golden rice-growing belt, situated on the Sanjiang Plain—one of the world's three major black soil regions—and is nationally recognised as a green food production base. These unique natural conditions nurture agricultural products of exceptional quality. In the cooperative's first year, LI led villagers in cultivating Northeast rice and millet, which were well received by customers. In 2018, to boost added value, the cooperative explored the deep processing of agricultural products, leading villagers to cultivate chillies and produce additive-free, preservative-free chilli sauce, which gained consumer favour upon market launch.
The venture achieved success, but the journey was filled with hardships and setbacks. In the cooperative's first year, the millet crop suffered a rare storm disaster, causing economic losses of over 600,000 yuan (approx. USD 87,847). In 2019, the chilli sauce factory was hit by a sudden fire caused by electrical short circuit, with losses reaching over 1.7 million yuan (approx. USD 248,900). Faced with successive blows, the Xincheng Town Government of Huachuan County promptly extended assistance with policy and financial support. Fellow villagers also spontaneously came to dismantle the ruins and donate funds and labour. In just five months, they helped the cooperative build a new factory building of over 700 square metres, restoring production. LI deeply felt the care of the government and the profound friendship of her fellow villagers, which further strengthened her determination to lead villagers to common prosperity.
Giving Back to Society, Practising Responsibility and Commitment
Since its establishment, the cooperative has always shouldered social responsibility. LI believes that the mark of entrepreneurial success is not merely making money, but more importantly, helping others and contributing to the country and society. The enterprise has created 22 long-term employment positions and 2,500 temporary employment positions, and distributes Spring Festival benefits to fellow villagers every year. It has cumulatively donated over 300,000 yuan (approx. USD 44,000) to society.
From founding the cooperative in 2017 to the present, LI Xueqin has completed her transformation from an ordinary "farm daughter" to an outstanding entrepreneur. She will continue to contribute even greater strength to rural revitalisation.
By OUC
Published: 27 April 2026