Crisp, tender, and lower in fiber and aftertaste, Yuanzhou cool-weather vegetables are sold en masse to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Delta.

Yao Xuan, Party secretary of Yaomo village in Yuanzhou, said the average vegetable plot can produce as many as three different kinds of crops a year thanks to mechanizing the whole process. Previously, it was limited to one.

Choy sum is one of the mainstays in Yuanzhou. The first crop is usually planted in March or early April. In less than two months, the vegetable can be served to people in the GBA. Shipping via cold-chain logistics takes less than 36 hours.

"More than 70 percent of disposable per-capita income comes from planting vegetables," Yao said, adding it had increased to 18,300 yuan in 2021 compared with 9,500 yuan in 2016.

"We received orders from the GBA and Yangtze River Delta before the planting season this year and each constituted 40,000 tons. We have expanded seedling space to meet the demand," Yao said.