Recently, the results of the selection of outstanding alumni of the Open University of China (OUC) were announced, recognising 328 alumni from various industries across the country.
These individuals, with accomplishments as their foundation and technology as their wings, demonstrate resilience, confidence, and a pragmatic, enterprising spirit, writing a unique chapter of progress of the OUC people. From today on, the stories of some alumni will be selected for sharing. By reviewing their outstanding deeds and listening to their life insights, the OUC’s achievements in talent development over the last 45 years are highlighted.
Zhang Chunmei graduated from the Open University of China (Guangdong Branch) in 2015 with an associate degree in Administrative Management. In the spring of 2023, she enrolled in the undergraduate programme in Administrative Management at the same university. She is a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress and a model worker in Guangdong Province. Currently, she serves as the chairperson of Meizhou Wuhua Honggenran Food Technology Co., Ltd., the president of the Wuhua County Honggenran Breeding Cooperative, and a director of Wuhua County Anliu Town Development Industrial Co., Ltd.
Over the past 20 years engaged in agricultural work, Zhang Chunmei has actively played the role of a "village industry leader", contributing to rural revitalisation and development. During her tenure as an NPC deputy, she put forward several suggestions regarding "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers" policies and policies beneficial to farmers. These suggestions have been recognised by the public and valued by leaders, fully demonstrating her role as an NPC deputy.
Wasteland transformed into a gold mine, leading the road to common prosperity in rural areas
After marrying into Hongshan Village, Anliu Town, Wuhua County in 2000, Zhang Chunmei began to utilise local resource advantages to develop crop and livestock industries, gradually becoming a well-known leader in getting rich by farming on mountainous land.
Since 2002, she has contracted over 60 acres of wild mountainous land, choosing appropriate development paths based on local conditions. She has guided villagers towards benefit-oriented agriculture, ecological farming, and modern agricultural practices, turning the once barren mountains into valuable assets. Under her leadership, farmers in Hongshan Village have gradually formed the "Six Ones" development model: one hill, one residential house, one pen of livestock, one biogas digester, one orchard, and one fish pond, known as the "Hongshan Model". In 2009, this model was designated as an industrial development model for promotion and study throughout Guangdong Province.
Zhang Chunmei also attaches great importance to the development of specialty agriculture and brand cultivation. She has explored a business model that combines mountain and valley farming, integrates crop and livestock production, balances long-term, medium-term, and short-term benefits, and promotes cooperation between the rich and the poor, striving to realise the "Ecological Home and Prosperity Plan".
In 2013, based on the actual situation, she established the Wuhua County Honggenran Breeding Cooperative. The cooperative has 51 members and 5 technical staff, with a total base area of about 360 acres. Economic crops such as pomelo, chestnut, longan, and tea are also planted on the base. The cooperative has provided numerous entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for surrounding farmers. Zhang Chunmei has traversed Hongshan Village, gaining a comprehensive understanding of its geography, climate, and the needs of farmers. With her guidance and exemplary leadership, and the promotion of the Hongshan Village Committee, there are now 103 households in Hongshan Village engaged in crop and livestock farming, with economic profits exceeding 10 million yuan. The breeding industry in Hongshan Village has continued to grow and expand, forming a brand effect of the Hongshan Model and establishing a favourable situation of industrialised, intensive, efficient, and ecological management.
In November 2023, Hongshan Village was selected as one of the first demonstrative villages for the "Hundred Counties, Thousand Towns, and Ten Thousand Villages High-Quality Development Project" in Guangdong Province. Zhang Chunmei's actions have injected new ideas into rural development and built new momentum for rural progress.
Actively taking on responsibility to support high-quality development of rural industries
Since being appointed as the village industry leader in Wuhua County in May 2023, Zhang Chunmei has actively exerted a demonstrative and leading effect in her position.
After conducting thorough research and understanding the historical background and development of the Wuhua Sanhuang Chicken (three-yellow chicken: yellow beak, yellow feet and yellow feathers/skin) breeding and processing industry, Zhang Chunmei established Meizhou Wuhua Honggenran Food Technology Co., Ltd. through investment attraction and talent recruitment. The company focuses on building the "Honggenran" brand of Wuhua Sanhuang Chicken and traditional Hakka-style salt-baked chicken. It employs an industrial development model of "company + research institute + bases + cooperatives + farming households," engaging in deep strategic cooperation with Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering. Through integration of Industry, Academia and Research, they have sought to build a standardised demonstration base for under-forest ecological breeding of Wuhua Sanhuang Chicken that is clean, green, comprehensively controlled, and produces high-quality products. Additionally, she united villagers from Hongshan Village and surrounding areas to establish the Hongshan Wuhua Sanhuang Chicken Ecological Breeding and Processing Industrial Park.
Playing a leading role as a communication bridge between the Party and the people
Zhang Chunmei actively fulfils her role as a Party member, serving as a communication bridge between the Party and the people. She was elected as a deputy to 13th, 15th, and 16th Wuhua County People's Congress sessions in 2005, 2016, and 2021 respectively; recognised as a "Model Worker" in Guangdong Province in 2012; elected as a female deputy at the 12th People’s Congress of Guangdong Province in 2014; awarded the title of "March 8th Red Banner Holder" in Guangdong Province in 2015; and elected as a deputy to the 14th NPC in 2023.
As an NPC deputy, Zhang Chunmei has been diligently serving as a bridge connecting the Party and government with the people. She has integrated local specialty agricultural product resources, introduced her hometown's agricultural products to markets beyond Wuhua and into the Greater Bay Area, enhanced the brand of Wuhua agricultural products, promoted the upgrading of the entire rural industrial chain, strengthened its market competitiveness and sustainable development capabilities, boosted agricultural efficiency, increased farmers' incomes, and driven rural development in Wuhua.
By OUC News Network