Yang Baoling is a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) and secretary of the Party branch of Huzhangzhuang village cooperative, in Dongli, a district in north China's Tianjin Municipality. She has been named a National March 8th Red-Banner Holder and a Good Samaritan of China. Yang has devoted more than 40 years of her life to working in the countryside, and she has led her fellow villagers along the path to common prosperity.
Yang, 68, was born and raised in the countryside, in east China's Shandong Province. She moved to Tianjin in 1981, after she got married. She married into an impoverished family, but she received warm support and kindness from her neighbors. "The villagers treated me like family. I was grateful. I've always felt I owe them," Yang says. In 2006, Yang was elected director of Huzhangzhuang village committee. Since then, she has committed herself to providing "round-the-clock" service.
Huzhangzhuang's potassium-rich saline soil proved ideal for the growing of grapes. In the past, open-field farming left harvests at the mercy of the weather. In 2012, a hailstorm wiped out the vineyards, causing huge losses, and driving many of the villagers to abandon farming for jobs in cities. "Cropland is a farmer's lifeline," Yang says. She was determined to improve farming conditions in the village. After extensive research, she introduced greenhouse farming to the village, and she led the villagers in building 41 greenhouses.
To help the villagers master the new farming skills, Yang invited experts to teach techniques of grape pruning, fertilizing and thinning. The first harvest of greenhouse grapes sold out in 12 days, earning the villagers, combined, in excess of two million yuan (US $281,690). Yang also established a grape cooperative, branded the grapes "Huzhangzhuang," and transformed the grapes from an ordinary commodity to a high-quality product.
Undeterred by frequent challenges, Yang led villagers in constructing 276 farm buildings and 154 cold-storage facilities, and the villagers made systemic upgrades to more than 9,000 mu (600 hectares) of land and infrastructure in the village. In 2024, the cooperative added 26 greenhouses, introduced many new grape varieties, and achieved more than nine million yuan (US $1.27 million), combined, in annual revenue. Today, Huzhangzhuang is a renowned "grape village," and a 2A-level rural tourism site in Tianjin. The village has been shortlisted for China's national, high-quality rural tourism routes.
Yang is constantly thinking about creating and implementing projects that promote the integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism. "I am aware, to lead villagers to live better lives, we must find a new path," Yang says. Her vision? A rural complex — a garden, orchard and playground — in Huzhangzhuang.
To accomplish this, Yang has attended more than 50 meetings, consulted experts for ideas to redesign the village's agricultural layout, and created a blueprint for the rural complex. She has negotiated a cooperation agreement, with a State-owned enterprise, to ensure funding for the complex. She has also worked with local government departments to ensure the cooperative's land is permitted for construction of the complex. The cooperative is building a village-history museum and launching a rural culture and tourism project, to combine sightseeing, fruit-picking, cultural tourism and study tours.
Yang's dedication has earned her the public's trust and support. She was elected deputy to the NPC in 2018, and re-elected in 2023. Each year, before the two sessions (annual meetings of China's top legislature and top political advisory body), Yang conducts field research and collects suggestions from her fellow villagers. Her suggestions, made during the NPC sessions, have included promoting integrated urban-rural development and establishing green channels for selling agricultural products. Her suggestions have contributed to rural revitalization.
"My greatest wish is to see villagers live without worrying about food or clothing, and to ensure they have access to medical services, elder care and housing," Yang says. In the future, Yang plans to continue exploring projects to promote integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism, and to advance the high-quality development of grape industry in the region.
Despite her age, nearing 70, Yang remains passionate and driven. "I'll keep working, with my fellow villagers, to pioneer new paths for rural revitalization," she says.
Photos from Interviewee
(Women of China English Monthly August 2025)
Editor: Wang Shasha
