How to keep them 'down on the farm' amid pandemic fallout
Editor's note
Small businesses in China are the backbone of employment and prosperity. But size can be a drawback when hard times hit. This series explores the consequences of lockdown on the sector.
When Liang Sifan saw a farm table full of locally produced food before her, she said she felt a rush of nostalgia.
Over the weekend, Liang and her family drove from downtown Shanghai to Chongming Island for a get-back-to-nature outing. On Sunday evening, they capped their weekend at Juxiangyuan Farm.
The farm owner filled the table with dishes made from newly picked vegetables, free-range chicken and freshly caught fish.
"It was the first time in many months that we have been able to enjoy authentic farm cooking," Liang said. "It gave us a sense of things 'back to normal,' which is quite comforting."
The Juxiangyuan farm kitchen turns out a feast for its restaurant diners, featuring locally harvested crayfish.
The feeling was mutual for Lu Huihui, founder of Juxiangyuan.
Her farm is an example of successful "agritainment," an eco-tourism venue that has been operating for more than a decade. It reopened on June 30 after two months of coronavirus lockdown.
To Lu's relief, bookings for summer camp, farm guesthouses and dinners immediately flooded in, even more so than in the summer holiday period in 2021.
"I guess that people have been yearning for an outing like this for a long time, and currently their choices are still somewhat limited," said Lu. "That gives us an opportunity."
Before returning to her hometown in Chongming to found Juxaingyuan in 2010, Lu worked as a tour guide. She decided to give up that career when she saw the opportunities in farm tourism.
In fact, before the pandemic hit, Juxiangyuan was one of the most successful agritainment venues on Chongming, an island famed for its eco-tourism.
Lu didn't realize the depth of a crisis afoot in March, when Juxiangyuan was forced to close due to the pandemic resurgence.
"We had a similar shutdown back in 2020, so we thought we could handle it," she said. "But when all delivery services were suspended, we began to panic a little. We couldn't sell our farm products to help make up for losses on the tourism side."
Fortunately, Lu finally managed to obtain a supply guarantee license, which entitled the farm to sell its farm products to the city. Its empty guesthouses became dorms for its employees, who kept working the fields and orchards.
"I'm happy that we didn't lose any staff or fail to pay wages," Lu said. "On the contrary, our team became closer than ever before."
Juxiangyuan is banking on summer holiday visitors to make up for lost revenue during lockdown.
Juxiangyuan isn't the only farm tourist destination that has had to cope with the effects of lockdowns.
The Mine Farm in the Pudong New Area was even more affected because it opened just last year on a huge initial investment that began to look shaky when the venue was forced to close in March.
"March to May should have been our peak season," said Lu Zhenxin, who is in charge of the venue. "We organized events like viewing blooming rape-flower fields and outings related to solar terms, but all those efforts were wasted."
Lu said she was pretty pessimistic when the lockdown was lifted because she feared mid- summer heat and lingering fears about a recurrence of viral spread would hold people back from outings. It turned out she worried too much.
"The booking rate is now 50 percent higher than it was at the same time last year," she said. "Our rice planting activities, bonfire parties and water games are really popular. I guess that the desire to get out again conquers any fears."
Meanwhile, Mine Farm also offers "glamping" to attract customers. Glamping – a combination of "glamorous" and "camping," has been popular in the West and Japan for some time but is relatively new in China. It refers to outdoor camping with all the amenities and comforts of home.
"We set up a glamping area that provides shower and night lights, hoping to create an experience much more than just common agritainment," Lu said.
"Glamping" at Mine Farm: the feel of the rustic outdoors combines with all the comforts of home.
According to lifestyle information giant Dianping.com, "camping" has become one of the most searched travel-related keywords. Amid periodic breakouts of coronavirus, it is generally viewed by the public as a safer excursion.
Even traditional travel agents are seizing opportunities in the market.
Shanghai Spring Tour said it plans to operate campsites all around China this summer holiday – both in urban and rural settings.
"Our first site, in Zhonghong Village in Jinshan District, opened on June 25," said Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of the company. "It provides not only the usual camping experience but also includes village excursions like visits to the original venue of peasant art in China."
A campsite in Jinshan District
Still, fear of a resurgence of coronavirus hangs like a Damocles Sword over farm eco-tourism.
Some farms are suffering a shortage of workers, and lingering limitations on inter-province travel are paring back numbers of tourists visiting Shanghai and its environs.
Just this week, when outbreaks were reported again in Shanghai and other places in China, some companies and families canceled their summer camp bookings at Mine Farm.
"It is still quite a difficult time for us," said Lu. "Most agricultural subsidies go to cooperatives or leading agricultural enterprises. We, as a new business genre that combines both agriculture and tourism, need more government support."
Meanwhile, Juxiangyuan is actively seeking to recruit more young employees because many of its current staff are middle-aged or older. Lu posts recruitment ads in her WeChat Moment account, hoping to attract college students for internships.
"We are also looking for livestream hosts to help promote our products online," she said. "In the epidemic era, livestreaming has become a vital to our business."
