8 | Friday, June 11, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY PATH TO GLORY Professor grows wealth with potatoes

Researcher motivated to create better varieties to help impoverished people

By LI YINGXUE potatoes to different locations, Li [email protected] has devoted his life to the tuber for the past two decades, without From Xundian Hui and Yi ever taking a proper holiday. autonomous county in Kunming “I’m a scientist, a doctor, a tutor city to Huize county in Zhaotong and a farmer. I’ve been to most of city, and from Zhaotong to the the impoverished areas in Yun- whole of Yunnan province, large nan. Knowing the situation of the or small, Li Canhui has probably people, I’m aware that better tech- visited every one of the province’s niques can change their lives, and potato fields. help them overcome poverty and As one of the first batch of pota- live better. That’s the value of my to researchers in Yunnan, Li has work,” the 53-year-old said. over two decades in the field. The United Nations declared Every little thing he has experi- 2008 the International Year of the enced in that time helped contrib- Potato, noting that the tuber is a ute to the development of potato staple food of much of the world’s research in the province, and to population. Cooperative 88, the his ambition to use name of the potato vari- advanced planting ety Li and his team cre- methods to lift villagers ated, has been Tan Decai (right) plants dangshen with fellow villagers in Ganshan village, Yunnan province. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY out of poverty. favorably received at As the deputy head home and abroad. of the Joint Academy Zhang Hua, 48, the of Potato Science at owner of a potato mar- Yunnan Normal Uni- ket in Kunming, said Businessman ends architectural career versity, Li first entered that the Cooperative 88 the field in 1986. At the Li Canhui potato has helped local time, potato research farmers greatly. to devote himself to poverty alleviation was in its infancy in Zhang began selling the province, and there was no potatoes at the age of 14. Previous previous research, let alone any varieties were cheap and low-pro- laboratories. ducing, and 5 to 6 kilograms of By LI YINGXUE no money for a factory, so Tan took holders, including 24 families with Under the lead of professor potatoes would be traded for 1 kg [email protected] out a loan of 30,000 yuan to buy disabled family members. Wang Jun, Li and several other of rice. the machinery. Tai Youzhong was one of them. students did everything from “But Cooperative 88 produces Whether as village chief or head He said that after Tan was Inspired by this award, “Even though I’m a disabled per- research to planting by them- a lot and sells for much more, of a specialized farm cooperative, named chief, he took the members I want to work with son, I don’t want to live my life rely- selves. As there was no fertilizer, which increases incomes, as 1 kg 68-year-old Tan Decai has devoted of the village committee on a tour ing on the government. I want to they used manure and with no of potatoes is now traded for 1 kg himself to helping villagers in Yun- to visit all the villagers and would more confidence and be like Tan, and plant dangshen lab, they worked out of a simple of rice, unlike 20 years ago,” he nan province overcome poverty. walk from hill to hill, wearing out a enthusiasm and make with him, and find the value and studio. says. In 2000, when Ganshan village pair of shoes every seven to eight happiness of life,” he said. After finishing his master’s, Li Zhang says Li helps farmers in Yongshan county started rural days. my contribution to Liu Xingde, then county Party went to work for the Yunnan solve potato-related problems reform, a dozen villagers came to After thorough research and consolidate the results chief, said that by deciding to culti- Department of Agriculture and and that he is easy going and kind, his home and asked him to be vil- surveying, Tan decided that half of poverty alleviation vate dangshen, Ganshan has devel- Rural Affairs. much like an older brother. lage chief and help lead them out the village should focus on animal oped a new path for poverty At first, it didn’t feel much dif- Du Chunyong, 52, was Li’s first of poverty. husbandry, and the other half on and comprehensively alleviation in the cold highlands. ferent to academia. But one day, graduate. “He was an academic Tan was in the architecture busi- planting traditional Chinese med- promote rural Tan believes it’s a Party mem- while conducting field research in tyrant who didn’t talk much, but ness and had an annual income of icines and providing labor servi- ber’s duty to face difficulties, and Xundian, his path changed. See- now he’s a rigorous, hardworking around 40,000 yuan ($4,830 at the ces. vitalization.” the primary Party obligation is the ing how poor the people living on scholar,” he said, adding that the time). The annual salary for a vil- He also encouraged the villagers battle to alleviate poverty. the red clay highlands were, he professor not only helps him with Tan Decai, head of a specialized lage chief was a fraction of that, at to return farmland to forest, and farm cooperative in Yongshan He was elected as a deputy to vowed to find a way to lift them academic studies, but also only 3,540 yuan. by 2003, over 265 hectares of new county, Yunnan province the National People’s Congress in out of poverty. instructs him in practice. “I was so busy with business forest had been created. January 2018, and nine months He went back to the research “He has made a tremendous then, and if I had said yes to the vil- On Oct 15, 2003, Tan had an acci- later, he was honored with the institute and hasn’t left since. contribution to the potato lage chief position, I’d have had to dent while riding a motorcycle to hectare bringing in about 45,000 National Award for Poverty Allevi- According to Li, Yunnan’s low industry in Southwest China, quit my business,” Tan recalled. work, fracturing his left thigh and yuan. ation. latitude highlands have a climate including planting, disease con- After chewing the idea over for a calf in five places and leaving him In 2015, they expanded to plant Tan was excited and proud to similar to the environment in trol and the study of varieties,” few days, Tan left his company and with a permanent disability. around 76 hectares. win the award. “The achievement which the potato originated in Du continued. became village chief. He promoted Six months later, he left hospital According to Zhou Min, one of does not belong to me, it’s the South America. For Li, it was a sense of respon- new methods and technology for and continued to work from home. the villagers, during peak season, result of the hard work of all cadres It is now the second-largest sibility that motivated him to growing corn and potatoes and After a visit to Gansu province, the cooperative employs 108 peo- and the masses in Yongshan,” he food crop in the province, and 70 study potatoes for two decades. within two years, villagers were he decided to bring dangshen, a ple, and in 2015 it paid over 1 mil- said. percent of plots are found in “Scientific research is not just able to feed and clothe themselves Chinese medicinal herb also lion yuan in salaries. “Next, inspired by this award, I impoverished areas, especially in about precision, advanced adequately. known as Codonopsis pilosula, or The cooperative also built a farm want to work with more confi- Zhaotong, Qujing, Dehong and equipment, brightly-lit laborato- To help bring in more income, bellflower, to Ganshan, and helped that can raise around 1,000 wujin dence and enthusiasm and make Wenshan. ries and research instruments, Tan held a meeting and decided to found a traditional Chinese medi- pigs, which feed on the branches my contribution to consolidate the From thousands of experi- it’s also about doing everything open a sand factory. cine cooperative. and leaves of the bellflower. results of poverty alleviation and ments in the lab and countless yourself, with a down-to-earth According to former deputy vil- In 2014, the village planted over In addition, the cooperative comprehensively promote rural hours of survey and research in spirit and an unwillingness to lage chief, Li Shijun, Ganshan had 40 hectares of the herb, with each invited villagers to become share- vitalization.” the fields, to the promotion of fall behind,” he said. Star tour guide’s dedication: 16 years in tourism, not a single complaint

By LI YINGXUE stands out more than others. threatening, during trips to places For the past 16 years, Zhang has [email protected] It was eight years ago, when he like Shangri-La and Jade Dragon seen the improvement of tourism was guiding a group of people Snow Mountain. Zhang has in Yunnan as traditional sites have In 16 years working as a tour with assorted disabilities. He learned basic medical knowledge been protected and local ethnic guide in Yunnan province, Zhang learned sign language to better be and how to cope with the most customs preserved. Yu has never received a complaint. able to lead them and brought a common issues. He has seen greater numbers of That’s quite a feat for someone small blackboard to help them He believes a guide is the first tourists arrive as more air routes who has welcomed over 40,000 understand what he was saying. impression visitors have of a site, and high-speed rail journeys are tourists and works in an industry When they arrived at one of the and that they represent the local opened to the province. “More where dealing with dissatisfaction sites, he went to help a group tourism industry. He also thinks tourists also choose to drive them- is part of the job. As a result, he’s member with mobility issues, but guides should take the lead when selves on visits,” he said. the first tour guide from Yunnan was told that they could manage it comes to culture. Zhang said the biggest change to win a National May Day Labor on their own. “In my opinion, guiding is not to Yunnan’s tourism industry is Medal. “I was touched by their passion just a profession, it comes with a that scenic spots are becoming At the Yunnan Lijiang White for life, more than my own, even,” social responsibility and can do more standardized, and tourism Deer Travel Agency, Zhang is he said. something meaningful for socie- industry workers are also improv- known by his colleagues as the Zhang learned how to say a lot ty,” he said, adding that each year, ing their services. “fire extinguisher” — for whenev- of things in sign language during he gives speeches to students “At first, no one knew what tour- er there is a problem, he’s always Zhang Yu represents tour guides in Lijiang, Yunnan province, at a the trip, particularly how to say majoring in tourism management ism was. Now, awareness has the one to solve it. provincial tourism promotional event. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY “I’m happy to be at your service”. and related subjects, to explain increased, management has “We often encounter picky tour- Apart from sign language, what a professional tour guide become more and more standard- ists, but as a tour guide, our job is Zhang has also learned accents should be. ized, and everyone is doing well,” to smile and listen patiently to Zhang Yu was so nervous that he ist in any one particular area, but I and dialects, as well as English In 2018, he was surprised to he said. their complaints,” Zhang said. couldn’t talk to the tourists and do need to know a lot of complex and Thai. Whenever he notices learn that he would be honored “The continuous development His friend and partner, Zhang just sang to them instead. After things, like the name of a plant or something new on his trips, he during the National May Day of tourism in Yunnan has benefit- Bin, thinks that people with a years of practice, he overcame the the meaning of a pattern, because likes to learn about that, too. Labor Medal ceremony. ed us all by enabling us to eradi- sense of professionalism are difficulty. if a tourist asks, I have to have the “If I communicate with guests “The medal doesn’t just belong cate poverty and embark on the superheroes. “Zhang Yu takes his For the 37-year-old, the greatest answer,” he said. in their language, they feel more to me, it’s recognition for all the road to prosperity. I hope that occupation as his faith, and for 16 reward is when visitors say they Looking back, Zhang says he’s comfortable,” he said. guides in Lijiang. I’m proud to be a tourism here will get better and years, he’s been very hardwork- are coming back and ask him to be pleased to have won the recogni- Yunnan is located on a plateau, tour guide, and I received the better in the future, and that more ing.” their guide again. tion of those he guides, but so some visitors experience reac- award on behalf of the entire tourists will be even more satis- When he first started the job, “I’m not required to be a special- there’s one experience that tions to the altitude, sometimes life- industry,” he said. fied with their trips to Yunnan.”