Zhu Mengli is a young, promising farmer in Yuecheng District, in Shaoxing, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province. Zhu, who was born in 1995, has significantly boosted agricultural efficiency in her hometown, through her commitment to "replacing labor with agricultural machines." She founded Shaoxing Wobao Farm Co., Ltd., in 2019, which both operates her family farm and provides agricultural services to local farmers, all while prioritizing employment of rural women. As a deputy to the 14th Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress, and as vice-president of Yuecheng District Agricultural Innovators Development Association, Zhu embraces her mission: To promote rural revitalization and common prosperity. 

Returning Home

Zhu grew up in a family of famers. Her family has cultivated rice for more than two decades. She has followed her parents into the rice fields since she was a child, and she has developed a deep connection to the scents of grain and the soil. Zhu graduated from college in 2016, after which she initially worked as a salesperson at a foreign-trade company. However, Zhu had a difficult time adjusting to city life. "In the office, I was confined to just one square meter. I lasted 773 days, but I couldn't take it anymore," she recalls. Zhu decided to return to her hometown, and to embrace the vast fields. 

In 2018, Zhu transitioned from "wanting to see the world" to "finding her world in the fields." To gain experience in agriculture, she consulted local agricultural offices, acquainted herself with relevant agricultural policies, and learned from veteran farmers. After leveraging support from the local government, for college graduates to start businesses, Zhu founded Wobao Farm. "I received funding, technical guidance, training and legal aid, which eased my worries," she says.

Once immersed in farming, Zhu embraced both its challenges — scorching sun, storms and pests — and its rewards. "You can love tranquility, but you can't fear hardship," she says. Through years of hard work, Zhu has expanded her farm from 300 mu (20 hectares) to more than 1,600 mu (106.7 hectares). The farm now sells more than 1.3 million kilograms of grain annually to reserves. 

Machines Over Manpower

Zhu's approach to farming is in stark contrast with her father's labor-intensive methods. She introduced full-process mechanization — breeding, sowing, transplanting, plowing, fertilizing, harvesting and drying — to replace human labor with machines. Skilled in operating drones for fertilization, Zhu has inspired neighboring farmers to adopt such technologies. She also trains villagers, repairs machines and acts as a local "machine doctor." 

For Zhu, her rice transplanter, capable of seeding thousands of mu in days, is a source of pride. Once, while teaching her mother to operate the transplanter, the machine got stuck in the mud. "Step on the gas! Straighten the wheel!" Zhu instructed, before both burst into laughter and then called for help. Beyond replacing labor with machines, Zhu has experimented with innovative models, such as "rice-shrimp symbiosis," which boosts yield and reduces pollution. She has received a utility model patent for that model. 

As a young farmer, Zhu puts considerable effort into learning, and studying how to adapt to new trends in agricultural development. In 2021, she joined Yuecheng District Agricultural Innovators Development Association. In short order, she was appointed vice-president of the association. She also cooperates with other agricultural innovators to explore new models for agricultural development. 

Pursuing Common Prosperity

Zhu believes her duty extends beyond achieving personal success to uplifting others. Supported by local authorities, she founded a women's shared-prosperity workshop, in Yuecheng, and that workshop has since employed rural women. The workshop has helped those women improve their livelihoods and social status. 

In 2022, Zhu was elected a deputy to the Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress. Since then, she has advocated for policies that support agricultural innovators. In 2023, a liaison station of the provincial people's congress was established within the development association. Zhu became head of the liaison office and, with other deputies, proposed many suggestions regarding agricultural development. 

Seven years in agriculture have given Zhu a profound understanding of the transformations that have taken place in agricultural production. She believes attracting young people to join the ranks of grain cultivation to be a mission to safeguard national food security. She also emphasizes the importance of cultivating a new generation of agricultural innovators, equipped with modern farming concepts, advanced agricultural technologies and marketing-operation expertise. Zhu contributes to that mission by regularly inviting students to visit her rice-cultivation base, and she engages with like-minded youths, often offering advice and encouragement. 

As a young farmer in the new era, Zhu vows to innovate, unite farmers and contribute to national development, and she pledges to make her youth radiate with greater brilliance, through serving agriculture for the country.

Photos from Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly May 2025)

Editor: Wang Shasha