On 12 November 2020, the first Veterans Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition, sponsored by China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs, ended in Guangzhou.
She Youyuan and Yu Zhixiong, teachers in the Entrepreneurship School of the Wuhan Branch of the Open University of China (OUC), won the national title for targeted poverty-alleviation with their project, "All-round Photovoltaics-based Poverty Alleviation at Dabie Mountain".
"I started a business very soon after graduating from university, and always came second in entrepreneurship competitions, including the Hubei Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Internet+ competitions. But I’ve taken part in few competitions in the past 4 years, so this was really a breakthrough for me." She Youyuan said that he enlisted as a soldier in high school, and has deep feelings for the army. Touched by the theme of "Setting a Trend in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Displaying the Qualities of Retired Servicemen", he signed up for the competition.
Cooperatives, production of special agricultural products, e-commerce, and other means are what people usually think of when it comes to alleviating poverty. However, the project proposed by She Youyuan and Yu Zhixiong is quite different. It presented the design of a photovoltaic power station on available land in low-income areas, using it to enhance cultivation and breeding and improve land-use efficiency, enabling farmers to earn income from land that currently has little or no value.
Four sources of income will be involved: leasing land to the photovoltaic power station, providing operations and maintenance services for it, cultivating livestock and crops, and gaining subsidies for photovoltaic projects from the central government.
She Youyuan said that, after the introduction of a photovoltaic power station in Xishui County, Hubei Province, the total income of 187 households increased by 8.42 million yuan, while another 1,260 households around the power station also benefited. The more residents contributed, the greater their income.
She Youyuan and Yu Zhixiong summed up the project as a three-dimensional approach to poverty alleviation which promotes the complementary strengths and mutual development of the power station with local fishery, animal husbandry, and agriculture. The project has brought in investment, increased employment, promoted broader use of land, and helped farmers increase their incomes long-term. Part of the profits from the project has even been used to build a library for local children.
This new all-round poverty-alleviation model has attracted considerable attention. According to She Youyuan, Luotian County in Hubei Province also intends to build a photovoltaic power station, with a total installed capacity of 100 MW on 1.33 million square meters of land.
On the morning of 12 November, when She Youyuan received the prize in Guangzhou, his students were watching the broadcast at school, and cheered for him.
She Youyuan became a teacher in the Entrepreneurship School of the Wuhan Branch last year, instructing his students in how to start their own businesses. This year, the college started to recruit students for a new major, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Entrepreneurship and Management. Mr. She, as a supervisor, is responsible for guiding six freshmen in a group called Top Star.
"The whole team felt honoured by Mr. She’s victory. His experiences in the entrepreneurship competition will be valuable for his students," Top Star group leader Zheng Chunyan said with a smile.
She Youyuan said that feedback from his students helped him enhance the project for the competition, while colleagues helped him modify the PPT presentation. During the competition he both competed and observed, analysing the advantages and disadvantages of everyone taking part from the perspective of an entrepreneurship supervisor. "When people asked me how I won, I tell them it's a combination of the right time, right place, and right people. For example, other projects focused on traditional agriculture, with income fluctuations due to weather and other factors. Our project provides a relatively stable income due to the wide range of sources. The importance of differentiating oneself from the competition is a significant lesson for students."
Wuhan-branch leaders said that entrepreneurship teachers are themselves successful entrepreneurs. The Entrepreneurship School encourages teachers to be entrepreneurial, participate in competitions, and become qualified both theoretically and practically so as to be able to guide students to solve practical problems and gain professional skills.
By Wuhan Branch