Fu Shuqin (front) and her teammates conduct a field study in a village in Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, Hubei, in September to evaluate the conditions for cultivating Gexian rice. CHINA DAILY
9月，付淑琴（前）和她的合伙人在湖北省恩施州的一个村子实地考察，评估葛仙米的种植条件。中国日报
"Our time studying away from home wasn't about escaping our impoverished hometowns but about gaining the skills and knowledge to one day help lift them out of poverty," said Fu Shuqin, a co-founder of Xishanshui, a company specializing in cultivating and selling Gexian rice, which, despite its name, is actually a rare and nutritious blue-green algae.
△葛仙米Fu and her partners, all college graduates originally from Enshi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Hubei province, embarked on this journey after Fu discovered Gexian rice at a local restaurant in 2022. 付淑琴和她的合作伙伴都是家乡在恩施州的大学毕业生。2022年，付淑琴在当地一家餐馆发现葛仙米后，他们一起开始了这段创业的旅程。
She learned that Gexian rice, known as "gold in the water", contains 17 types of amino acids and up to 52 percent protein — twice that of fish. The current global annual yield of wild Gexian rice is less than 3,000 kilograms, with 95 percent of it coming from her hometown of Hefeng county. However, despite its nutritional value and scarcity, local farmers struggled to sell it at a fair price.
付淑琴了解到，被称为“水中软黄金”的葛仙米含有17种氨基酸和高达52%的蛋白质，这是鱼的两倍。目前，全球野生葛仙米的年产量不到3000公斤，其中95%来自她的家乡鹤峰县。尽管葛仙米的营养价值很高也非常稀有，但是当地农民还是卖不出好价钱。 Cultivating prosperity After extensive research and discussions, Fu and her partners decided to build an entire industry chain from scratch — a project far beyond their budget. To seek funding, they turned to venture capital, impressing investors with a meticulously prepared project dossier and a hundred-page PowerPoint presentation. Their efforts paid off, securing substantial financial backing. 经过充分的调研和讨论，付淑琴和她的合作伙伴决定从头开始建立一个完整的产业链——这远远超出他们的预算。为了找到投资，他们把目光转向风资，凭借精心准备的项目方案和上百页的PPT，他们给投资者留下了深刻印象，他们的前期努力也得到了回报，得到了投资人的支持。 "We are committed to building modern agriculture and place great importance on standardized production and technological innovation," said Fu. 付淑琴说：“我们致力于现代农业体系建设，高度重视标准化生产和技术创新。” To achieve this goal, they first set a quality standard for Gexian rice. According to Fu, wild Gexian rice is graded into five categories based on evaluations of its color, aroma, taste, and condition. To strictly regulate production standards, they use sensory, physicochemical, and microbiological indicators, rather than relying solely on visual and olfactory assessments, as many farmers do. 为了实现这一目标，他们首先为葛仙米制定了质量标准。付淑琴介绍，根据野生葛仙米的色泽、香气、味道等评价标准分成五个等级。为了严格规范生产标准，他们用现代化的检验检测手段来判断品质的好坏，取代传统的仅凭借视觉和嗅觉去评估。 "We have developed a dedicated production line, carefully controlling the process to ensure each step is scientific, safe, and hygienic." said Fu. 付淑琴说：“我们开发了一条专业生产线，严控生产过程，确保每一步都是科学的、安全的和卫生的。”
However, since the industry is still in its early stages, Fu's team relies mainly on nature's offerings for harvesting.
然而，他们仍处于初创阶段，付淑琴和她的团队主要还是依靠自然种植和收割。 To change this, Xishanshui has been working to build a standardized industrial base, collaborating with university experts to research and refine breeding technologies as a first step toward industrialization. 为了改变这种状况，硒山水公司致力于建设一个标准化的生产基地，与专家合作，研究和改进育种技术，这是工业化的第一步。
"We are actively developing artificial cultivation techniques to enhance the yield of Gexian rice, aiming to increase harvests and improve local incomes," said Fu.
付淑琴说：“我们正在努力提高人工种植技术，提高葛仙水稻的产量，增加收成，提高当地居民收入。” The first batch of Gexian rice was harvested in July. As their production process stabilizes, they have begun exploring ways to promote their products, such as creating short videos, writing articles, and participating in exhibitions. 第一批葛仙米的收割时间是7月份，有了稳定的产量，他们开始探索推广产品的方法，如制作短视频、写文章和参加展览。 "My partners often say that we're not afraid of hard work; we're only afraid of not working hard enough and regretting it later," Fu shared. 付淑琴说：“我的小伙伴们常说，我们不怕工作辛苦；我们怕不够努力，以后会后悔。” Fu and her team are not only building their own business but also supporting their fellow villagers by creating a local e-commerce platform that anyone can join free of charge. 付淑琴和她的团队不仅自己创业，他们还建立了一个免费的集合式的平台，希望帮助大家卖出更多的恩施好物。 In Fu's view, they've made significant strides in industrializing Gexian rice, moving from zero to one. While there is still a long way to go before reaching 100, she remains confident and determined. 在付淑琴看来，他们在葛仙米产业化方面取得了重大进展，完成了从零到一的变化，但是未来的路依然很长，但是她和她的团队对未来充满了信心。
"Rural areas need young people, but young people also need the rich, vibrant land of the countryside to flourish," she said.
