The Chicken Man: Taking advantage of rural revitalization

It has been almost three years since Hu Fuguo left Beijing to raise chickens back in his hometown in central China's Hunan Province.

The 28-year-old now runs two breeding bases, a restaurant, a cafe and a rural e-commerce center -- all built from nothing.

"Many people around me are concerned about food safety, and I thought I should do something meaningful, such as producing natural ingredients," Hu said, explaining his reasons for leaving Beijing. "So I came back."

Hu rented land with the money he saved in Beijing and borrowed from relatives when he arrived home in 2015.

By day, he explored fodder recipes and breeding methods; by night, he studied breeding techniques and management theories.

Later, Hu was rewarded for his efforts. His first 1,600 cage-free, grain-fed chickens sold out fast.

In the same year Hu founded his chicken farm. He also started an e-commerce platform. The idea came from his experience in Beijing where he worked in the logistics industry and ran his own Taobao shop.

Now the company's monthly income is on average of 80,000 yuan (about US$11,600). But the new influx of money has not made Hu indifferent to his fellow villagers who are still struggling with poverty.

Last year, when over 1,500 kilograms of unsold rice piled up at poverty-stricken He Faren's home, Hu bought the lot, paying the deposit immediately.

In the past three years, Hu and his company helped dozens living in poverty to raise chickens and increase their income. Over 580 people sell farm products such as dark plums, peaches, radishes and lotus seeds on Hu's e-commerce platform.

"Although agricultural entrepreneurship is very hard to do well, I get a real sense of achievement from it," he wrote in a post about his 1,208th day of raising chickens. "Rural revitalization strategies bring a host of opportunities!"