Rags to Riches – Story of the Kubuqi Farmers

Dreaming of an Oasis

Aote Genhua, the head of Daotu Village, is nicknamed “Sister Flower” owing to her smiling face like the joyful sight of flowers. The sandstorms that regularly plagued the village are still a vivid memory for Sister Flower. Whenever she left the house, she would always be armed to the teeth with a hat and a mask, even if it was a sunny day.

“Women like to look neat and tidy. My biggest dream is to see the desert transformed into an oasis, so I won’t have to worry about my face being full of sand; and the herders here will have a more stable life,” she said. “When I first heard the news that the government and some company would plant trees here, I couldn’t believe it and thought it was a joke. However, I saw a miracle happen!” A warm and capable lady with a brisk manner, Sister Flower is now an adamant supporter of tree- planting and actively participates in it.

Sister Flower, an ardent supporter of local forestry efforts.

Due to the huge demand for tree- planting, there is always a manpower shortage in spring. Sister Flower recruits around 70-80 workers from Gansu Province every year. Driving off in her SUV to plant trees, Sister Flower is not in a minority in Kubuqi. Actually there are 200 tree-planting teams locally. In 2009, Sister Flower’s team joined the foresting team from the Elion Resources Group. The income of her team has increased from several thousand yuan to more than RMB 100,000.

“We all love the land, and support the foresting project,” said Sister Flower. “Over the past few years, what we’ve planted are not just trees and liquorice plants, but our good wishes to our homeland. To beautify the place with greenery and help local farmers get rich is my biggest dream.”