'Hope, confidence'

"Shen's success filled people here with hope and confidence," said Xie Yuxiang, head of Huolu. "Many young people have returned to the village to grow produce."

In 2015, Shen was named a national model worker for his personal achievements and contribution to the community.

Without money or knowledge, poor families in the area used to struggle to grow produce.

Fazi now has 10 cooperatives, including seven fruit-growing ones. All 59 poor families have joined the cooperatives and have been given access to technologies and markets.

In 2015, Zhang Shenghong joined Shen's cooperative and planted peach trees on a 0.8-hectare plot of land. The trees are expected to yield fruit this summer and the cooperative will help him sell it for an estimated 200,000 yuan. In the past three years, Zhang has also worked for other families in the cooperative, earning 90 yuan a day.

To give full technological support to farmers, another cooperative in Fazi - founded by Wang Xiaobing, the former village chief - provides peach saplings to members for 6 yuan each and professional management services for 3,000 yuan per hectare per year. Its agricultural technicians look after the trees along with educating the farmers.

Free services

Poor families are eligible for free services and can also work for the cooperative for 80 yuan a day.

"Many farmers have no idea how to grow peaches and they are afraid of failure," Wang said. "Our services can help educate them and alleviate their concerns."

So far, 76 families, including 30 in poverty, have joined Wang's cooperative, with each making 5,000 yuan a year from the business.

"Pruning and pest control are important in peach farming," Wang said. "The farmers can learn from our technicians, and in two or three years they are able to work independently."

By the end of last year, fruit farming, especially peaches and plums, had helped reduce the poverty rate in Fazi to less than 2 percent.