STORY: Taiwan compatriot explores lotus industry on Chinese mainland
DATELINE: June 22, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:50
LOCATION: XIAMEN, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Chien Fu-Chuan
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): CHIEN FU-CHUAN, Lotus grower from Taiwan
3. various of Chien's lotus ponds
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHIEN FU-CHUAN, Lotus grower from Taiwan

STORYLINE:

Chien Fu-Chuan, a 67-year-old lotus grower from Taiwan, has been exploring the industry on the Chinese mainland since 1997.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): CHIEN FU-CHUAN, Lotus grower from Taiwan
"Why did I want to engage in the lotus industry on the Chinese mainland at that time? The main reason is that Taiwan's agriculture is largely affected by typhoons. So I wanted to tap into the market here. The market is very big here."

In 2006, Chien settled down in Lotus Village of Tong'an District in Xiamen City.

Covering an area of 120 mu (about 8 hectares), Chien's "lotus world" now features more than 600 species.

Over the past 26 years, besides Xiamen, Chien has established lotus bases in many other cities of the mainland, with a total area of 1,000 mu (about 66.7 hectares).

Lotus by-products such as lotus tea, lotus seed bracelets, lotus bags, and lotus cups, have become popular on the market.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHIEN FU-CHUAN, Lotus grower from Taiwan
"I'm almost 70 years old now. I've spent my prime years here on the Chinese mainland. I hope that the lotus base in our village can become a best demonstration site in China. I hope that in the future, this base can be turned into a cross-Strait incubation base for agricultural technologies. Those who would like to engage in agriculture on both sides of the Strait can come here to grow fruit trees and lotuses. I will retire one day, and I hope the younger generation will carry on my work and drive advancements in agricultural technologies."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Xiamen, China.
(XHTV)