At present, kiwifruits in the Hejin Village, Hengshi Town, Ningxiang City keep ripening. Early in the morning, Hu Jianguo would come to the kiwifruit orchard to take care of the fruits. Hu Jianguo became well-known for lifting himself out of poverty by growing kiwifruit and other fruits.

The orchard is located in the alluvial highland at the intersection of Xiangyang River and Tiechong River. There is a flat land where patches of fruit trees with luxuriant foliage stretch on all sides as far as the eye can see and branches are overgrown with kiwifruits.
This year is Hu Jianguo’s fourth year of growing kiwifruit. In 2018, Hu Jianguo and his wife introduced kiwifruit seedlings from Fenghuang in western Hunan for trial planting. In order to grow quality kiwifruits, the couple has put all their energy into the orchard. Although the couple has difficulty in walking, they go out early in the morning and come back late at night to weed and fertilize.

Sometimes they even have meals and stay overnight in the orchard. They learn by planting, communicate with peers and accumulate experience. From pollination, pruning, watering to fertilization, they have developed clear and unified standards in every production step. "Our kiwifruits are naturally matured without herbicide, chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Look at these free-range chickens. They are good at catching insects and making fertilizer."

Now, fruit plantation covers an area of more than 40 mu (about 2.7 hectares) with an annual output of kiwifruit more than 25,000 kilograms. Hu Jianguo has become a model and leader of poverty alleviation, and established Changsha Fengjian Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. with the help of village cadres. 

In addition to kiwi, there are watermelon, honey pomelo, red grapefruit, grapes, and chili, Chinese medicinal materials and other crops in the ecological plantation. Hu Jianguo is well aware of the inconvenience for the disabled to work outside of hometown. To help the disabled around, Hu Jianguo provided free fruit planting technology and chicks for more than 20 disabled families.

Red kiwifruit, is a “delicate” variety recognized in the industry. In order to improve its quality, Hu Jianguo focused on fine management and adopted pollution-free cultivation technology to grow juicy and plump red kiwifruits.

Despite the heat, customers are still coming to pick fruits. On September 5, a group of children from Binjiang Primary School in Changsha came to the orchard to pick fruit. “It allows us to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city, get close to nature, enjoy the scenery and countryside. Besides, our children can experience the fun of picking fruits and leading a rural life, which is very meaningful," a parent said.

The kiwifruit picking season will last until mid-November.