For many researchers and technologists, starting a business involves a painful transition to maturity. For example, when Jiang Yiliang and three colleagues started Xi'an Jinhua Ecological Technology Co, the first thing they did was rent a nicely decorated office in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, in an attempt to impress customers and attract orders. However, Jiang, the CEO, quickly discovered that the office was not an issue for potential customers. Instead, before they would consider placing an order they demanded demonstrations of the company's new technologies as proof that they would help their businesses. Jinhua provides soil remediation services, based on testing to identify the necessary nutrients and restructuring the soil to retain water and beneficial elements. The government of the Yang-ling Demonstration Zone, a city in Shaanxi, has formulated measures to spur startups, including setting up a 15,000-square-meter Entrepreneurship and Innovation Space. Jinhua decided to use the zone as a home for its laboratory, which houses experimental equipment that tests soil composition and provides solutions to raise crop yields and quality. "The equipment cost 1.5 million yuan ($222,000). Next, we will rent 3,000 sq m of land for experimental farms. Our technologies will be applied to the land as a demonstration of the differences they can make. That's the key to getting orders - when customers see for themselves and make their own decision to work with us," cofounder Gao Hailong said. The company's business model developed over time as Jiang and his colleagues became more sophisticated in their approach and adapted to new demands. "From the very outset, we were nerds. Being the CEO is high-pressure work because I have to ensure my colleagues' livelihoods. They were supposed to have good jobs and enjoyable lives after graduation. But everything depends on our management skills," Jiang said. Gao said one of the most difficult aspects of their work is that most farms are family run, which makes large-scale farming difficult and reduces opportunities to use high-tech applications. "Faced with the long-term process of transforming agricultural technology into output, the company's management must stay cool and alert to handle every tiny challenge," he added. "All nerdy people will have to learn to be more clear-sighted in the future." red wristband24 hour wristbands coupon codecustom silicone bands1 inch wide rubber bands
GUIYANG - Environmental workers in Caohai Lake, the largest bird wintering ground in southwest China, have prepared sufficient food and a better environment for some 100,000 migratory birds.Caohai National Nature Reserve in Guizhou Province added more than 80 hectares of plants, favored by the birds, earlier in the year."The nature reserve has seen a harvest of some plants now, such as 45,100 kg of potatoes and 6,500 kg of barnyard grasses," said Ran Jingcheng, an official with Guizhou Provincial Department of Forestry.Caohai Lake has lots of aquatic flora. Its mild climate and intact natural environment make it an ideal place for flocks of rare transient birds and waterfowl.It accommodates more than 100,000 migratory birds in the winter, including over 1,700 black-necked cranes, a rare fowl species on the verge of extinction, as well as hooded cranes, white storks, black storks, golden eagles and white-tailed sea eagles."Black-necked cranes usually fly to the lake between October and November and leave in March and April. We offer food for these migratory birds in the chilly winter months," Ran said.In addition to providing food, workers at the nature reserve have also set up shelters for the birds with wood and dry grasses. They have also conducted bird flu monitoring in poultry raised by surrounding residents.With strengthened environmental protection in recent years, the variety of birds living at Caohai Lake in winter has increased from 203 kinds a decade ago to 230 at present, with the number of birds increasing from 70,000 to 100,000.
