Daylilies get a foothold in Shanxi

Ever since Zhang Shengwei quit his job at a metallurgy company in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, in early 2016, he has been working to develop a business helping fellow residents become more prosperous by planting daylilies.

The 42-year-old Zhang was born into a farming family in Dingqiao village, Jijiazhuang township, in Shanxi's Datong city. He studied hard to get into Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, in 1999.

After graduation in 2002, he got a job opportunity at the metallurgy company and rose to become one of the top managers several years later. However, he often thought of his neighbors. He hoped to lead them out of poverty.

The opportunity came as his village began to develop the daylily industry in 2015. Young people who worked outside the village returned to start businesses.