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At the age of 23, she moved to Germany and a few years later to Ecuador, where she founded a famous clothing and footwear brand. A few years ago, she returned to her hometown in Qingtian County, Lishui County, Zhejiang Province, in eastern China, to run the Fangshan Valley Agricultural Heritage and Cultural Park. In recent years, she has led local villagers in their efforts towards common prosperity. who is she? Yang Xiaoai, honorary chairman of Ecuador’s Qingtian Indigenous Association and president of Zhejiang Yinghe Ecological Agriculture Development Company.
original intention
Originally from Fangshan, Qingtian City, Yang moved to Germany in 1991 and later established a Chinese restaurant in Cologne. Before she immigrated to Germany, her grandfather, a revolutionary, gave her a book to learn German and taught her, “Never forget your homeland, always remember to serve your homeland.” ” I told her. Ms. Yang still remembers her grandfather’s words.
In 2002, Jan moved from Germany to Ecuador, where he founded a clothing and shoe brand. Products made by her company are sold in many countries. In 2014, her company started producing high-end socks made in China, which became very popular in Ecuador. Her company also makes hundreds of types of slippers.
Regarding the company’s rapid development, Mr. Yang said, “Our production line comes from the motherland, and the production technology and raw materials also come from the motherland. We have benefited greatly from China’s reform and opening up. ” he said.
In 2009, Mr. Yang founded the Ecuador Qingtian Indigenous Association and has led its members to integrate into the local community and improve the competitiveness of Chinese products in the local market.
Yang is nicknamed “Ecuador Rose” by the overseas Chinese living in Ecuador. She says she is like grass. She is ordinary, but she has the most powerful life force.
Spreading love and warmth
A compassionate person, Jan always does his best to help those in need. At the West Lake International Expo held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in 2011, Yang served as an interpreter for Ecuadorian National Day activities.
In April 2016, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the coast of northwestern Ecuador. Three rescue teams from China carried out earthquake relief, but required interpreters. When Yang heard about the situation, he gave up his vacation in Qingtian and returned to Ecuador, where he served as an interpreter and guide for the relief team.
Yang also mobilized members of the Ecuadorian Aota Native Association and company employees to donate earthquake relief supplies to assist victims. The national flags of China and Ecuador were displayed on trucks carrying earthquake relief supplies. Yang also donated slippers, salt, rice, cooking oil and other supplies to villagers on a remote island in Ecuador.
For the past 15 years, Yang has donated funds and supplies to nursing homes in Qingtian City to help the elderly. Yang helped protect Fangshan’s rivers, leading villagers to build dams and green spaces along the rivers.
She also donated funds and supplies to help those affected by earthquakes in Wenchuan in 2008 and Yushu in 2010. Over the years, she has collected more than 5 million yuan (US$714,286) in donations to help Chinese people in need. .
“China will forever be my homeland. We have benefited from China’s reform and opening-up, and we should do our best to contribute to the development of our motherland,” Yang said.
Launching a new business
A native of Fangshan, Mr. Yang has always dreamed of returning to his hometown to promote development.
In her view, overseas Chinese businessmen have an integrated cultural background that allows them to successfully introduce foreign advanced technology to their hometown, and also allows people from other countries to interact with China and Chinese agriculture. It can also help people better understand the development of agriculture. Rural area.
Fangshan is known for its killifish and fish farming system that dates back more than 1,300 years. An ecological symbiosis exists in traditional medaka and fish farming systems. Rice provides shade and food for fish, and fish fertilize rice, regulate microclimatic conditions, soften soil, disturb water, and help feed on larvae and weeds in rice fields.
In 2005, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations selected killifish and fish farming systems as one of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). GIAHS represents not only stunning natural landscapes, but also biodiversity, resilient ecosystems, and agricultural practices that uniquely combine tradition and innovation to create livelihoods in rural areas.
In 2019, Mr. Yang left his overseas business to his family and returned to his hometown to establish the Fangshan Valley Agricultural Heritage Cultural Park. The park organizes various agricultural activities for tourists to experience the charm of its agricultural heritage. The park also hosts exhibitions showcasing traditional agricultural culture and agricultural heritage.
The Agricultural Heritage Cultural Park not only created many employment opportunities for local residents, but also provided a platform for local students, overseas Chinese and international friends to communicate with each other and exchange ideas. The park also helped foster the active development of the local tourism economy.
Yang said, “Traditional agricultural culture is full of vitality. I will continue to promote the integration of agriculture and tourism, inherit and develop agricultural heritage culture, and further contribute to rural revitalization and common prosperity. I will try my best to do so.” In 2020, she was named Yeosu City’s March 8th Red Flag Holder.
Photo courtesy of interviewee
(Source: Qingtian City Women’s Federation/Women of China English Monthly September 2023 issue)
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