Returning to life on the land

When Chai was a university freshman he wrote a letter outlining his future plans. He wrote that he would return to his hometown to develop the Chinese leek trade if the vegetable had not been processed and sold to the overseas market in the next four years.

At university Chai not only learned a lot in the classroom, but saved nearly 400,000 yuan ($64,000) by running an online store catering to local college students.

"Armed with knowledge and money, I believe I can do well," Chai says, adding that he has researched family farms in European and American countries.

Chai used 3.3 hectares of farmland from his four uncles who had left the land to work in cities. He then built 11 spacious greenhouses, which stand in sharp contrast to the small greenhouses favored by other families in the village.

"My greenhouses ensure the plants harness the maximum amount of sunlight which is a crucial factor for quality Chinese leek. They are big enough so farmers can enter to take care of the Chinese leek," Chai explains.

The greenhouses cost him 220,000 yuan.

"The other families prefer the smaller greenhouses as they are low cost and can be built easily."

Chai says he helped construct the 11 greenhouses, the rigorous labor helping him lose 20 kg in weight.

Last winter saw most days clouded with smog, which blocked sunlight to the Chinese leek. Chai researched other vegetables' greenhouses looking for a solution to this problem. Eventually he introduced special lights that emit a purple glow. These purple spectrum lights enable the Chinese leek to grow even on cloudy days.

"My fellow villagers depend on the weather, but I work to improve unfavorable natural conditions," Chai says. He is happy to share his experience with other families, he adds.

Chai's hard work paid off. He received a net profit of 300,000 yuan from his farmland last winter.

"What I earned per mu is twice as much as my parents earned in recent years," Chai says.