Glowing red apples hang heavily on branches in the orchards on the southern outskirts of Tongyu Town, Zuoquan County, Shanxi Province, an area where a decade ago weeds and rocks covered a rather barren landscape. Young people in Tongyu left the town in search of greener pastures, leaving the elderly and children behind to eke out a meagre existence.

Today, Guo Hepin, head of Xijiao Village in Tongyu, leads workers in harvesting freshly ripened fruit. Also chief of Heping Fruit Industry Farmers’ Professional Cooperative, Guo has witnessed changes in his hometown, “This used to be a barren land, and now it has become a place of abundance.” It’s been a long road to success, with many twists and turns.

What stands out in the area’s transformation is the resilience of the people, which explains the region’s transformation from desolate mountains to prosperous orchards. Starting from scratch, the town is now developing a rural fruit industry park that integrates planting, harvesting, and tourism.

Villagers sort through apples at the agricultural products trading market in Tongyu Town, Zuoquan County, in September 2025. Zhang Wenjun

Perseverance 

During his youth, Guo worked as a miner, participated in construction projects, and also lived off the resources of the mountains. At that time, coal mining was the lifeblood of Shanxi, and the mountains were riddled with countless craters due to excavation. “Back then, I thought to myself that we needed to do something that would make the mountains green and the villages prosperous,” he recalled.

Tongtan Village in Tongyu Town began developing the Lianhuayan Scenic Area in 2005, revitalizing idle mountainous lands and promoting local economic development. Guo took the lead in contracting land from over 100 households and reclaiming barren slopes to plant apples. However, the first year ended in failure. Due to poor skill in pruning and managing water, the apple trees were too short, and fruit didn’t grow well. Guo lost more than RMB 8 million that year.

Some villagers advised him to give up, yet he persevered. “If I don’t try, there will be no chance of success,” said Guo.

During the following years, he traveled to many places in and outside of China to learn about apple cultivation techniques, including Yantai in Shandong, Lingbao in Henan, and Osaka in Japan, all for the sake of understanding one thing — how to grow good fruit in the mountains.

Over the years, Guo gradually developed an apple cultivation approach suited to the local climate, and became proficient in every step of the cultivation process, from preparing the land to adjusting plant spacing, from pruning to pest control, and from drip irrigation to fertilization. He also introduced a science-based and standardized management model into his orchard.

Nowadays, this land is planted with apples, crabapples, plums, and pears. When the mountain breeze blows, the scent of the fruit fills the entire orchard.

“In the past, people relied on the weather to make a living; now, we rely on technology,” said Liu Jiecheng, a graduate student majoring in Agronomy and Seed Industry at Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University.

Liu is a native of Zuoquan. A few years ago, he gave up opportunities to work in the city and returned to his rural hometown. “Since my field of study was fruit tree cultivation, I felt I should return home and put my knowledge to use,” he said.

Back at home, Liu became Guo’s technical advisor. From selecting seedlings, grafting, and fertilizing, to pest and disease control, he meticulously recorded each step and repeatedly conducted comparative trials. He also helped the village establish growth records for fruit trees. “Fruit trees cannot speak, but every datum can reveal a problem,” Liu often told villagers.

“Our generation returns home not just to earn money, but also to make the mountains greener and the fruits sweeter,” said Liu.

With the dedication of people like Guo and Liu, the orchard has undergone remarkable changes: over the years, the fructification rate has increased by 30 percent, and the average yield has doubled. In 2017, Hongbuluo Agricultural Technology Development Co., Ltd. was established. The orchards in four nearby villages, namely Shangwu, Zhongzhuang, Shangkou, and Xijiao, were integrated, forming an entire industry chain encompassing seedling cultivation, planting, harvesting, cold-chain logistics, and sales, becoming a model base for the modern fruit industry in Zuoquan County. Its fruits are sold to cities nationwide such as Beijing, Shanghai, Jiaxing, and Jilin through an online sales platform for agricultural products from less developed areas, e-commerce live streaming rooms, and agricultural wholesale markets.

Guo often tells the people he works with that they are not merely growing apples, but sowing hope.

A billboard for a fruit-picking orchard in Shangkou Village, Zuoquan County, Shanxi Province. Guo Heping

Transformation 

Apple cultivation has not only transformed a piece of land but also changed the destiny of an entire village.

“In the past, local villagers believed that growing fruit was less worthwhile than working as laborers,” said Liu Junfei, Party secretary of Shangwu Village.

After the development of orchards, people who had left the villages to seek work in cities gradually returned. Now, during each harvest season, over 100 villagers work in the orchards — some prune the trees, some pick the fruit, some pack fruit into boxes, and others label the packages.

“Growing fruit allows me to earn money without leaving my hometown,” said Wang Zhanjun, resident from a neighboring village. A few years ago, he was working away from home; now, he works at the orchard, spraying, weeding, and picking and sorting fruit. His annual income from wages and dividends has tripled compared his past earnings.

“In recent years, more people have returned, and the village is livelier than before,” said 72-year-old villager Yang Laiyou, whose children live far away. Yang was invited to help sort fruit in the orchard for the first time last year. “I can earn over RMB 100 a day, the work isn’t tiring, and there are people to talk to,” the elderly man said with a smile. “Before, I stayed at home alone and felt bored, but now I have something to look forward to.”

The orchard not only drives employment. Villagers participate in multiple ways, including land transfers, dividend sharing, and labor income. “Now every piece of our land is being cultivated, and everyone has work to do,” said Liu Junfei.

Challenges 

Behind the success of the fruit industry, there is also a group of officials assigned to these villages under an aid program.

Rugged mountain roads, lack of storage facilities, and outdated equipment are the three hurdles in the development of rural fruit industry. In the face of these challenges, the Rural Revitalization Bureau of Zuoquan County sent a work team to visit every household, coordinating land lease and facilitating projects. Thanks to their efforts, roads, a cold storage, and a fruit trading market were built.

“With the cold storage facility, we gain pricing power,” said Guo. “In the past, fruit could only be sold immediately after harvest, but now we can grade, store, and sell them in different periods, which allows prices to increase by about 30 percent.”

Another pleasant surprise for the villagers was the drip irrigation upgrade project, introduced with support from the China International Communications Group (CICG) in Beijing. Over the past 20 years, CICG employees have come to the most remote parts of the Taihang Mountains in Shanxi, delivering policies, projects, and technologies directly to farmers there.

“In the past, we relied entirely on nature for our yield. Too much rain would cause flooding, and prolonged dry spells threatened drought. Now, with drip irrigation, labor is saved, the fruits are more uniform in size and sweeter, and water usage has been reduced by 70 percent,” said Guo.

"The introduction of the drip irrigation system in apple orchards is not merely a simple upgrade of the irrigation method; it is also an important initiative to promote agricultural modernization and digital management," said Zhang Lei from CICG, who serves as deputy county head of Zuoquan. “The intelligent control system can further help achieve precise integration of water and fertilizer management, ensuring that the fruit trees receive the most suitable nutrients at different stages of growth,” he added.

These officials from other regions not only brought technical expertise but also introduced new ideas.

“They teach us how to conduct live streaming, something we couldn’t imagine before,” said Guo.

In 2020, the village’s live streaming room was launched. Officials assigned to it helped villagers set up accounts, shoot short videos, and promote products. “We don’t just sell apples; we tell stories,” said sales director Guo Yachen. He once left the village to find work in the city, and has now returned home to become a key member of the sales team. “Customers know that behind our fruits lies a story of changing lives through hard work.”

Leveraging channels such as live streaming, e-commerce, poverty alleviation platforms, and community group buying, Zuoquan’s fruits are sold widely in China’s major cities. In 2024, fruit sales revenue exceeded RMB 1 million. As a model for rural revitalization, Hongbuluo Fruit Industry has been reported by media outlets such as Shanxi News Broadcast, becoming a prime example of Zuoquan’s efforts to promote industrial development.

“With everyone’s effort, we have taken the right path,” said Guo.

Hope

The orchard should not only enrich the people but also enhance the ecosystem.

Walking into the orchard of Xijiao Village, apple trees interlace with cherry, plum, pear, and walnut trees, creating layers of greenery and an abundance of fragrant fruit. At the edges of the land, a few black goats leisurely graze in the shade of the trees.

Guo said the animals are their latest circular economy project.

“The village has invested over RMB 2 million to establish a black goat breeding farm and a feed processing plant. Local-grown corn stalks are made into pellet feed, and goat manure is returned to the orchard as organic fertilizer, creating a virtuous cycle,” said Guo.

In this circular system, each component depends on and enhances the others: grains are grown at the foot of the mountains, fruit trees are planted mid-slope, black goats are raised on the hillsides, and the summit functions as a scenic area for tourists.

When discussing the future, Guo has even greater aspirations — creating an integrated industry chain of black goat that covers breeding, fattening, slaughtering, processing, and culinary training. This will further diversify the local economy.

“Every time the county holds a meeting, we emphasize that we can’t just grow crops; we must also sell them and help people become prosperous,” said Guo. “In the future, we need to have our own brands and tell our own stories.”

Today, Hongbuluo Fruit Industry has become a member of the China Association of Rural Development. Under its leadership, through the “cooperative + farmer” model, Xijiao Village integrates land, labor, technology, and other resources to deepen agriculture-tourism integration. Hongbuluo is also extending its business into the cultural and tourism sector: developing fruit-picking orchards, creating a parent-child amusement park, opening farmhouse restaurants and homestays, and building camping sites. These programs are attracting an increasing number of city visitors who want to embrace a rural experience.

“The orchard is not just an enterprise; it is the hope of Zuoquan County,” Guo said, “Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.” This phrase, often on his lips, has now become the shared belief of local villagers.

Each fruit grown is helping weave together an industrial chain and kindles hope for a rural community. From weed-covered slopes to orchards filled with a strong fruit fragrance, Zuoquan has transformed the fate of a mountain village and allowed the concept of green development to take root and flourish deep within the Taihang Mountains.

“We hope everyone will know that the fruit of Zuoquan are not only sweet, but their sweetness touches the heart,” said Guo.