In Central China's Hunan Province, where "no meal is complete without chili," He Xiaozhen, a woman from Ningxiang, a county-level city in Hunan, is using technological innovation to add luster to chili peppers. How, exactly? For more than a decade, she has worked alongside her husband, Xiao Shenglan, in agriculture. Through her work, she has advanced the technology used to grow chili peppers, and, in turn, she has ensured year-round supply of Hunan chilies. Equally as impressive, through her work, He has created employment opportunities for dozens of rural women.
Filling Technical Gaps
In 2012, while He was working for a company in South China's Guangdong Province, Xiao, her then-fiancé, was a vegetable farmer in Ningxiang. Driven by her dream of starting a business in her hometown, He resigned, moved back home and joined Xiao in the agricultural industry. In 2013, the couple married and established Ningxiang Lamei Jiaotian Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.
A short time after they started their business, He realized chili peppers in Hunan were planted in spring and harvested in summer, meaning they were in the market from May to September. This concentrated supply period resulted in low prices, and difficulty completing sales. However, chili peppers are in their highest demand each year around Spring Festival, a period when Hunan chilies typically are not available.
"Can we find a way to fill the local supply gap?" He kept asking herself. To find the answer, she and Xiao sought expertise, nationwide, and they studied the autumn-winter chili-cultivation techniques used in East China's Anhui Province. "The technology was useful, but adapting it to Hunan's climate required dedicated research," He says.
During the cold, humid winter of 2018, they discovered extensive gray mold in their greenhouses. He and Xiao visited Anhui's autumn-winter chili bases, and they consulted agricultural experts, to learn how to eradicate the mold. A year later, extreme frost damaged more than 50 mu (3.3 hectares) of seedlings on their planation base. To cope with such challenges, the couple studied and developed a scientific-planting-management system.
"Our pest-control methods are both effective and green," He explains. Each July and August, they use high temperatures, for sterilization, and they apply calcium cyanamide, to disinfect the soil. As a result, they have improved the quality of their chilies, and, just as impressive, they have reduced their operating costs.
Additionally, they have helped optimize chili varieties, by collaborating with Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences to select high-quality chili varieties. For example, "Huaminglou" red chili, planted in September and harvested in November, has become one of their company's bestselling varieties of chili.
Given the technological and varietal breakthroughs, He and Xiao's company has been recognized as a National High-Tech Enterprise (in 2021). The company holds multiple patents for chili plantation, and it has been authorized to use the "Hunan Chili" regional brand.
Expanding Sales
In 2020, He attended an e-commerce training course, organized by Ningxiang's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, to study e-commerce operations, and to learn how to produce short videos.
In February 2021, she tried selling chilies on Douyin (a short-video platform), and she earned more than 100,000 yuan (US $14,085) in sales within seven days. She continued posting content — related to planting techniques and daily management — on the platform. She gained many followers.
In December 2021, she began selling via livestream, and her single-session sales exceeded 4,000 yuan (US $563). Her sales rose steadily, and eventually reached a daily high of 90,000 yuan (US $12,676). Within 50 days of livestreaming, her sales exceeded 800,000 yuan (US $112,676).
He chose not to bask in their economic success; instead, she sought, and valued, feedback from their customers. Many of her patrons raved about the quality of chilies, and many also offered suggestions, which He used to optimize her products, and increase repurchase rates.
To meet customers' diverse needs, He categorized the chilies by spiciness (high, medium, mild and nonspicy), and by taste (crisp, medium and soft). The categories made it easier for customers to tailor their purchases.
Through everything, food safety remained paramount to He. For example, He established strict management systems — covering multiple production links, including soil maintenance, fertilizer use and pesticide control — for the company's chili plantation base. Those efforts helped ensure standardized production. "We want consumers to buy with confidence, eat with peace of mind and repurchase happily," He says.
Helping Villagers Prosper
Today, their chili base spans 210 mu (14 hectares), and has an annual output value that exceeds 4 million yuan (US $563,380). He and Xiao also organize free lessons for other farmers in the region, so they can share winter-chili-planting techniques. To date, He has provided training, through in-field instruction and livestreaming, to more than 5,000 people.
He and Xiao employ dozens of full-time workers, and hundreds of seasonal workers, with 25 special positions for women, to enable the women to work near their homes. "We hope the company's growth truly benefits everyone," says He.
He has been honored as one of the Top 10 Pioneers for Rural Youth, and a March 8th Red-Banner Holder, both in Changsha (the province's capital). Reflecting on her journey, He says China has provided solid backing for agricultural development. She plans to promote the "Hunan Chili" brand through government platforms. She also aims to improve the brand's influence, and to gain its access into more markets.
Photos from Interviewee
(Women of China English Monthly December 2025)
Editor: Wang Shasha
