Orchards bloom as 'barren' landscape blossoms

"In March, the peach blossoms came out, and we held a peach blossom festival to attract tourists," she says. "In May, the trees bore fruit, and we provided tourists with a fruit-picking experience. In June, the peach gum began exuding and could be processed and sold."

In time, Cao's company was able to build the facilities for sorting, processing and packing the peach products. Now, making use of its mature processing skills and high-quality products, it has expanded to process raw peach gum from all over the country.

These days, the plantation's annual peach gum output is about 600,000 kilograms, while the annual revenue from processing and selling peach gum is about 35 million yuan ($4.9 million). About 20,000 jobs have been provided to locals.

Farmers are employed by Cao in various processing jobs and a "poverty alleviation workshop "has been established.

He Jianjun, an official with Sandian subdistrict of Xinzhou district, says the base has promoted employment. It provides opportunities, especially for the elderly and women left behind in the village, whose families go to work in big cities, to work and earn money.

"I work at the base in my spare time. In 2021, I worked for almost eight months and earned more than 16,000 yuan, which is much higher than the income from farming," says Zhou Xi'ai, a 69-year-old villager.

"Dare to think, dare to act, decide on a good direction and stick to the end," says Cao. "I believe that with such qualities, we can make a difference on the rural land."