With 5 million yuan ($722,000) he and three friends invested in the new enterprise. Cao set up Yitian Ecological Agriculture Technology Co and a rice planting cooperative in Dasuihe village in early 2017. They rent 300 hectares of farmland in the village to grow organic rice.

The company has established deep cooperation with several local agriculture research institutes and colleges, focusing on technological development. A new farming system emerged that integrated rice growing with ducks, crabs and fish in the paddy fields, which helps produce high-quality organic rice in an eco-friendly fashion.

Cao applied his professional knowledge to agricultural management, implementing mechanization and intelligent planting.

"Now the 300 hectares of farmland needs only 100 farmers for centralized planting, while in the past the land was worked by more than 2,000 households," he said. "The annual income of each household has increased by 20,000 yuan."

In 2019, the company rebuilt some farmhouses around the village and developed a tourism project involving rural homestays.

"With support from the local governments, we hope to build a leading brand of rice in the province," he said. "At the same time, through the rural tourism project, we can integrate the surrounding resources to build an integrated alliance to lead more farmers onto the road of wealth."