A Chinese engineering graduate has given up a promising career in the city to become a cowboy.
He Gen, 22 from a mountainous region in Hubei province, decided that he didn’t want to join the exodus of fresh graduates to the cities, preferring instead to stay in the countryside.
His plans to raise livestock in his remote village, Fuzhongdi, has already attracted support from other young people. So far he has signed up 38 members to his “cowboy association.”
He Gen’s story was told by the Hubei-based Jing Chu Net.
He hopes that his initiative will spur others to think of starting businesses in rural areas, thereby creating jobs and helping to drive renewal in neglected villages.
“I’ve never thought about working somewhere to make a living,” he said. “My root is in my hometown.”
He said that there were only elderly people and young babies in his village. Even so, there was huge potential for raising livestock there.
“There’s mountains of grassy land which are being wasted. There is no livestock there to feed on it. I’ve always felt I should do something good for my hometown.”
His idea to raise yellow cows in his hometown is not a new one. He first suggested it to his parents after completing high school, but his father was furious. He insisted that his son go to college, with a view to leaving the grinding poverty of countryside life for the relative wealth of the cities.
He Gen attended the prestigious Wuhan Vocational College of Software and Engineering, but did not remain passive throughout his schooling.
In his freshman year, he worked with long distance bus owners to set up a bus stop at the entrance of the school, which is far from the city. Many students benefited from the initiative.
Later on, while still at college, he registered an online store on Alibaba.cn to sell chestnuts from his home county, Luotian.
After completing his studies, he returned home and told his parents that he had not changed his wish to raise cattle, so they eventually relented.
He Gen applied for a loan to start the business and the cow sheds were ready in two weeks.
He started as he meant to carry on, by renting a huge area for his livestock—2,000 mu (around 1.3 million square meters).
Earlier this year, he officially opened his “Luotian Yellow Cow Farm.” He said that he hopes that the farm will create jobs and invigorate the local economy.
His efforts have already won plaudits from other young people. A third year student at Huazhong University of Science and Techonology called Yang Tao said: “He Gen proved with his own acts that the younger generations are not totally lost. All of us love our hometowns from the bottom of our hearts.”
Read the original Chinese article.
The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
