“I never thought I would have such a high salary before. I went out to seek jobs, but no one wanted me because I’m old,” said He Xianglin, a villager who works at the nursery stock base. He introduced that he is 56 years old and used to grow vegetables and raise chickens at home. He worked alone and earned less than 2,000 yuan per month. But now his monthly salary has exceeded 4,500 yuan, which is at the top of his age group in the village, even more than many young people.

 

 

Shimen Village used to lack industries, and the elderly villagers could only grow some vegetables and raise some livestock for a living, resulting in meager income. In addition, the wage in the local county town is low, and if someone can earn 4,000 yuan per month in the city, it is considered a high salary, let alone for elderly villagers.

 

Since Huilong Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. set up a nursery stock base in the village, people can be seen purchasing seedlings almost every day with their trucks parked aside, and the number of seedlings sell each time is more than 100,000. This all owes to a good leader. 

 

The leader, Zhang Linnan, has been engaged in seedling cultivation and sales with his family elders since childhood, and has accumulated funds, connections, and techniques. Zhang Linnan, who has a deep understanding of the seedling industry, transferred 1,300-mu (about 86.67 hectares) idle hilly land in Shimen Village. He said, “Such land is suitable for the development of seedlings. It would be a great waste not to use it. So we need to give full play to the efficiency of the land and let the villagers benefit from it.”

 

This year, Shimen Village has abundant light and rainfall, and the seedlings are thriving. Looking down from a high altitude, you can see the 1,300 mu (about 86.67 hectares) hilly land, which is green and luxuriant, and the villagers work through it, creating a harmonious and unique spring sight. 

 

In order to better meet the market demand, there are more than 20 species of nursery trees here, including Ligustrum japonicum ‘Howardii’, Photinia fraseri, Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum, Rhododendron, Distylium chinense, laurel, PEuonymus Japonicus cv.Aureo-ma, winter jasmine, camellia, and crape myrtle.

 

Zhang is more confident about planning in the next step. He said, "This is also the birthplace of Emperor Yan Shennong Chinese traditional medicine culture. The next step will be to transfer hillier land to cultivate excellent Chinese traditional medicinal crops, do a good job in our characteristic industries, and bring more villagers to prosperity. In the future, we will also make these all into an industrial chain and use technology for management, so that we can do things more easily.