Although average rural incomes have failed to keep pace with rising urban incomes, some people in China’s countryside are managing to thrive. Here, Ren Xuping (任旭平) tells Chang Tianle (常天乐) about his journey from poverty to relative prosperity in rural Sichuan, and how this led him to become a social entrepreneur.
I was born in a small village in Dayi County (大邑县), Sichuan Province in 1967. Dayi was known throughout China for a notoriously brutal landlord, Liu Wencai (刘文彩), before 1949. By the time I was born, of course, there were no landlords any more. But most farmers were still very poor, including my family.
My parents used to be teachers. But in the 1960s they were forced to tend the fields, even though my dad suffered from tuberculosis. So the family largely depended on my mum. Under the collective system at that time, it was impossible for her to shoulder the workload assigned to the whole family—my grandfather, parents, two brothers, one sister and me, seven people in total. To get our share of the rice, we had to pay extra money on top of my mum’s work in the fields. We ate meat less than five times a year. We couldn’t afford new clothes either. The whole family lived in a damp and small house. I would call it a shack.
There is a Chinese saying, “Children from poor families grow up fast” (穷人的孩子早当家). So at very young age I understood the situation and tried not to make trouble for my parents. I was smart enough to score well in exams but also gave teachers a hard time by being too naughty. Once I caught five sparrows during the break and kept them in my desk. I was going to cook and eat them afterwards. But they were discovered by my teacher, who took them away. I got very angry as he grabbed my nutritious meal—they were more than just sparrows, it was my protein for the day! It was 1980, protein was not so easy to get as nowadays. I was so furious that I had a showdown, which eventually led to me dropping out. Another reason was that we couldn’t afford the 5 yuan school fee. At that time, I was only three months away from junior high school graduation, but I knew I couldn’t continue my studies even if I finished the last three months. My family was too poor to support four children at the same time.
Years later, the teacher and I met at the People’s Congress. We were both representatives. We are now friends.
So I left school at the age of 13. I was a very small lad then and was not strong enough to work in the fields. I was apprenticed to a carpenter for a while, but I was too weak to cut the wood. So I quit very soon.
A seminal gift
One day, my dad brought home two rabbits and let me take care of them. I was always interested in keeping animals, so I was very happy with the gifts and took good care of them. Every day, I took sickle to the fields and mountain and brought back grass to feed my rabbits. One of the does was pregnant when we got taken home. One month later, she gave birth to eight babies. After another month, I sold all babies in the market for 12 yuan. That was quite something back in 1980.
After a quick calculation I realised that if I had 20 female breeding rabbits, my income would be the same as the county Party Secretary. I was very much encouraged by the financial prospect and decided to venture into the business. It’s not a hard job. So I have more and more rabbits to take care of and sell. When I look back, I would say that my fortune started with two rabbits and a sickle, which brought me 12 yuan as my first bucket of gold. Now my business has fixed assets of CNY 50 million [USD 6.2 milliion].
Back then, I didn’t know much about animal husbandry or whatever. But I worked very hard and found ways to maximise the reproduction of the rabbits. In 1982, I made 2,600 yuan, which was quite impressive at that time. More and more people got to know about me, including government officials. Various government agencies, national and provincial, gave me awards as a model youth and encouraged other rural young people to learn from me. In 1984, I was invited to Beijing to receive a national “rural elite” award. I was the youngest of about 80 winners.
By 1985, the business grew into a six mu [one acre, 0.4 ha.] rabbit farm with 1,600 cages. Annual profits reached CNY 100,000. People call me “No. 1 Rabbit Farmer”.
In 1986 I was invited to a Chinese New Year reception which Deng Xiaoping attended. After hearing my story, he told me, “Individual wealth is not real prosperity—that only comes when everyone is rich.” (个人富了不算富，大家都富才算富).
I had already started a training school by for farmers interested in rabbit farming. It was the first private training organisation in Sichuan Province. Deng’s words greatly inspired me. I decided to run the school long-term and help more farmers to get richer, just like me.
Then came Heifer Project International [a US development agency that loans livestock and provides micro-finance to farmers]. They were about to enter China in 1985 and looking for skilled breeders to ensure the sustainability of their projects. Out of 200 rabbits shipped by Heifer from the US, only 105 survived and arrived in Sichuan. So I was chosen as one of the first recipients and I got 48 Californian and New Zealand pure-bred rabbits. Although my farm was large scale, the breeds I had been using were not of satisfactory quality. Heifer’s arrival not only improved my breeds, but also brought advanced technical and management training. Without Heifer, I would probably still be rich and successful. But success would have come at the end of a long and winding road.
Values matter
Actually the most important thing Heifer brings is neither high-quality livestock, nor technology, but it’s philosophy. By giving me 48 rabbits, they required me to pass on 240 female offspring to others so that more people would benefit from the programme. Up until now, I’ve passed on 40 generations of rabbits to more than 3,700 households, mostly in Dayi County. My animals have also been sent to Nepal, Thailand and North Korea, either as gifts from Heifer or as Chinese government aid.
Heifer’s emphasis on concepts such as family values, community development, ecological sustainability, was all new to me at the beginning. As time went by, I understood the value of these concepts and have applied them in my business and life.
Heifer also provided training on market and negotiation skills, which taught me how to expand my business and make it more sustainable.
In addition to rabbit farming, I gradually built up a complete value chain. Now I own a feed manufacturer, rabbit meat and fur processor, and a newly-built science station focusing on research and development.
The Xuping Rabbit Raising Technique School is part of my business strategy too. After learning about rabbit farming from us, people go back and start their own business. They usually buy breeds from us. After they start to reproduce, they sometimes turn to us for sale. This helps me expand my business in manufacturing and processing, meanwhile ensuring an income for the students.
Starting from 1985, the school has trained 300,000 people from all over the country. More than 100 of them have become renminbi millionaires.
I can’t take all the credit for my success. Support from my family, the government, and fellow farmers is very important. Heifer’s support plays a significant role in my business and my life. I have gained tremendously from its program. Its major cornerstone of “passing on the gift” reminded me of an old Chinese saying: “To repay a drop of water with a babbling spring” (滴水之恩，当涌泉相报).
Famers need software
Not all farmers are as lucky as me. I feel Chinese farmers are like spinning tops. They have a very tiny place to stand, with almost no financial or political resources. Many of them don’t have much education, nor do they understand law or policies. They work hard but gain little. They are under great pressure and challenge, yet hard to become wealthy. But, just like tops, once whipped, they can spin really fast. Farmers are not stupid, they have good hardware. They need to be installed appropriate software, after that they can achieve their full potential.
I think I’m a good example. So I want to play my part to give other farmers opportunities and resources to grow. Plus, being such a big enterprise now, we should take more social responsibility.
The training school is one of my ways of giving back to the society. When I first started the training school, it was free. Two years later we started to charge a modest CNY 19. Now a standard 10-day training course costs CNY 200. But I usually grant tuition discount, if not free training, to poor farmers. Disabled people top our priority list. In 2005, we trained more than 800 disabled people together with Disabled Persons’ Federation. Raising rabbit doesn’t require much labour or travel, many disabled people are able to do it after a brief training. Among all livestock, rabbit is the most efficient one. It’s like a current deposit, you can withdraw whenever you want by selling a few rabbits from your cage. This kind of high liquidity is greatly valued in cash-strained rural families. I always tell people: “Raise one rabbit, and you won’t have to worry about oil, salt and vinegar. Raise 10, you won’t have to worry about finding a wife. Raise 50, and you won’t have to worry about adding a second story to your home. Raise 100, and you can buy a car.”
My wife and I have also published five books on rabbit farming and written numerous articles to introduce our technical and management skills. Nearly two million copies have been sold. We believe that by reading this affordable and easy-to-understand material, people can start their own business without visiting us or attending the training school. I have been invited to many places to give lectures or trainings, including military units, schools, government agencies. I have also lectured in North Korea and Thailand.
As a member of Chengdu People’s Congress and a standing member of Dayi County’s Political Consultative Conference, I play my role to full. I submit proposals and reports to the Congress and Conference to raise their awareness of rural and migration issues. Many of my suggestions have been accepted and adopted by the government.
I also serve as President of Dayi County’s Rabbit Breeding Association, and sit on the board of various professional societies. These jobs position me perfectly to share my knowledge and experience among rabbit farmers, as well as organising them together to hedge risks. In the Association, we provide unified breeds, feeds, technical support and market information to members. We have also tried to borrow Heifer’s model in helping some impoverished families in the community.
From beneficiary to partner
Two years ago, Heifer approached me again, asking me whether the Association could partner with them to implement a program in Dayi. I was so happy. On the one hand, after 20 years had I grown from a Heifer beneficiary to a Heifer partner. On the other hand, I am in a better position to do poverty alleviation work, which is always of my interest.
The program was launched in 2005, first in a few mountainous villages. Villagers had been working their land and for generations. Three years ago, the government’s sloping land conversion programme [退耕还林, a programme to reforest farmland on gradients of 25% or above,] left most families less land to farm: about one mu per person, barely enough to feed the family. Although they receive annual compensation of CNY 230 for each mu of land they “return” to forest and grassland, this will only last for eight years. Sustainable extra cash income is critical to them. Many men have opted to work in a nearby coal mine but this will be closed very soon. Most women and old people have to stay home. One village became known as “mah-jong village”, as people had so little to do that they played mah-jong all the time. They don’t seem to bother to plan for the longer term at all. This is definitely not a sustainable way of living.
So we introduce rabbit raising to them. The villagers liked the idea, because rabbit farming is easy to maintain for women and old people. Even children can help their family look after the animals. Most important of all, Heifer provides high-quality breeding rabbits and I provide technical training and support. They can call me whenever they have a problem. We also loan to some families to build cages.
In two years, the face of the communities has changed so much. Villagers now have sustained cash income, usually double or even triple what they earned before. They no longer waste their time playing mah-jong day and night. According to Heifer’s rule, they have given out the same number of rabbits they received from Heifer to other farmers, which they really take pride in. They realise that they are not neglected, and they are able to help others as well. So far, we have worked in 15 villages, helped more than 400 households set up their rabbit business, who in turn passed “gifts” to over 1,000 families.
After seeing the changes that have taken place and the potential of the villages, government officials have shown great support and interest. Roads have been built, bio-gas systems set up, all with government investment. Officials from other township and counties have come to see us and have even invited us to work in their areas. I’ve seen other places copying our model in their community development and poverty alleviation projects.
To advance our contribution to society, my wife and I set up a poverty alleviation research centre in March 2006. We want to use the centre to study poverty reduction models through practice. Apart from Heifer projects, we have also hosted poor university students to work with us in the summer to make money for their tuition. We also employ poor mothers and help poor families to start rabbit farming.
Everything I have done for other farmers is because I was born in a poor village. I know exactly what farmers want most. They are poor, but what they really need is not money, but to see hope and take responsibility. Hope for a better life sometimes can be so faint that many farmers are powerless and unwilling to take responsibility and even give up. I want to share my experience and thinking along the way with them, to show them the hope to get rid of poverty and take action. I want more rural families to understand that they are the ones who should take responsibility, responsibility for themselves, for their family and for the community.
I know that we can’t do everything, I can’t change the face of poverty overnight. But as long as someone benefit from what I do, that’s enough. I sincerely believe that if everybody is making positive changes little by little, we can turn our world into a better place.
My wife and I know a lot of successful business people, who have made a huge amount of money, much more than we do, but are not happy. They spend all their time thinking about how to maximise their profit margin, how to look good in front of others. They think too much about getting, but too little about giving.
But we are different. We may not be as good at business making money as some others, but profit is not our top priority. As corporate and individual citizens we do a better job as we feel some responsibility to society. When we do charity and development projects, we are happy. We see the changes we bring to families and communities. Looking into their eyes, we used to see despair, now we see satisfaction.
I hold many titles and have been given a lot of awards. If I could choose, I’d rather be seen as a pioneer who leads farmers to a wealthy future. I also want to be seen as an aide who assists the government in building a new countryside.