After lots of trial and error, they finally settled on caowu (radix aconiti agrestis), since the village's high altitude and cold weather provided ideal conditions to grow the herb, which is a key ingredient for Yunnan Baiyao, a leading producer of traditional Chinese medicine.

"We learnt that caowu can grow well if the area's altitude is 2,000 meters above sea level, and our altitude is more than 2,400 meters," says Qian.

So, they introduced caowu to the village and began to grow it in 2009.

But things got off to a rough start, due to a lack of technology and experience.

"A businessman told us to sow the seeds at the start of spring and cover seeds with plant ash," says Qian.

However, strong spring winds dried the land and the alkaline plant ash burned the seeds.

Things only picked up in 2012 when a proper road to the village was built.

Then, the local government sent in agricultural experts to teach the villagers about proper growing methods.

Qian then set up a rural cooperative in October 2014 to promote mass plantation of the herb.

A total of 14 households joined the venture at the start of 2015.

The local government granted the cooperative 250,000 yuan to buy seeds.