Orchid grower cultivates cross-Strait community

High in the mountains of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province, Peking University finance graduate Liao Yi-ting is blending heritage with high tech to grow an orchid empire and create a thriving future for over 80 local women along the way.

While most entrepreneurs from Taiwan head to the mainland's coastal hubs, Liao chose the southwestern hinterland in 2023. Drawn by Xichang's ideal climate and expanding logistics networks, she established an integrated agricultural company spanning orchid research, production and sales.

For the Liao family, orchids have long held a special place. In the late 1980s, her father crossed the Taiwan Strait for traditional manufacturing work, later transitioning into agriculture and selling orchid seedlings from Guangdong province to Sichuan.

"In the earlier years, the orchid industry was not as developed as now, and the cultivation period was longer," 29-year-old Liao said, adding that tissue culture technology has since greatly increased yields.

Instead of focusing on mainstream phalaenopsis orchids, Liao's family cultivated niche varieties, including oncidium, cattleya, and dendrobium. The highly specialized, tech-driven products have gained popularity in overseas markets.

Among their proudest creations is the Mengxiang, or "dream fragrance", mini oncidium series, a trademark registered in 2016. Its name was inspired by a poem composed by Liao's father, who was deeply moved by the flower's aroma. "This is a fragrance so exquisite, it feels as though it could only exist in dreams," he once said.

Notably, the beautiful blooms live up to their name, releasing a distinct, natural scent reminiscent of fresh cream.

Producing high-quality orchids requires careful management of growing conditions. To Liao, Xichang's low-latitude plateau monsoon climate, featuring warm winters, cool summers and ideal day-and-night temperature variations, makes the area ideal for growing orchids.

However, faced with unfamiliar climate and water conditions, Liao and her team started from scratch — surveying the site, installing water and electricity supplies and recalibrating key parameters.

Today, across more than 13.3 hectares of land, a highly standardized agricultural base has risen, featuring greenhouses fully equipped with automated shading systems, integrated water-fertilizer pipelines, and intelligent digital climate controllers to pamper the delicate flowers.

The garden boasts over 100 self-developed varieties and produces over 8 million seedlings annually. Through the expansive flower logistics and wholesale network centered in Kunming, Yunnan province, Liao's orchid products are transported to markets nationwide.

Liao's most cherished achievement is the deep bond she built with local women, whom she affectionately calls niangniang — the local dialect word for auntie. The base provides stable jobs for female villagers from various ethnic groups.

For 26-year-old Daxi Aji, a local Yi ethnic woman who lives near the plantation and previously worked as a temporary laborer elsewhere, the orchid garden became a turning point.

"Now, I work inside the smart greenhouses, and the income is better and more stable; it is not as hard as traditional labor, and it takes less of a toll on my body," she said. "The job also allows me to care for my family and children."

Ma Xinglan, a 52-year-old Hui ethnic woman who previously worked at a hotel, found her passion in planting. "First it was personal interest; I like growing orchids myself," Ma said.

Speaking of the status of local women within their families, Ma said it couldn't change overnight, but she added, "Thankfully, now I can decide how to spend my income."

"Most Yi women can understand our dialect, but theirs is very difficult to understand and basically needs translation," Ma said. Despite the barriers, the women worked hard together, mastering the complex names and traits of every orchid variety.

Whenever technical challenges or various everyday problems arise, the workers consult Liao, who explains everything carefully. "She is so young, yet she manages such a massive enterprise," Ma said. "I particularly admire her positive spirit."

Liao is eyeing a bigger market under the blueprint of rural development and agricultural modernization set in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) on the Chinese mainland.

"As long as we persist in independent breeding, we can strengthen our competitiveness," Liao said.

In the fertile soil of Liangshan, the premium orchids are putting down deep roots — and the young entrepreneur from Taiwan feels she is doing the same.

Zheng Shuohan contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at zhangyi1@chinadaily.com.cn