Cooperative's sweet success raises families' living standards

When he left the army in 1997, Zhong Liangsheng took a job with the forestry administration in Wuping county, Fujian province. Four years later, he was made redundant as a result of reform of the forestry system that was being carried out across the county.

Now, Zhong, a loser in the early period of reform, is not only benefiting from the ongoing changes, but he is also helping dozens of families who are impoverished or disadvantaged by disability to escape the poverty trap.

When he began working for the forestry administration, Zhong, 42, thought he had gained an "iron rice bowl" - a job for life with a government department. When he was laid off, his only way of earning a living was to utilize the cooking skills he had learned in the army.