Donkey raising brings fortune to couple in E China's Anhui

Zhang Cheng and his wife feed their donkeys in Xiajiang village, Shangfeng township, Shexian county in east China's Anhui province. (Photo/Wu Jianping)

A couple has made a fortune by raising donkeys in Xiajiang village, Shangfeng township, Shexian county in east China’s Anhui province.

Zhang Cheng, once a laid-off worker, spotted business opportunities in the market for raising donkeys and eventually decided to devote himself to a career in the donkey raising industry. Zhang and his wife built a stable to raise donkeys in 2014. Now they own over 50 donkeys. Every year, more than 20 donkeys from their stable are supplied to the market.

Apart from supplying fresh donkey meat, the couple also sell donkey-hide gelatin, which is made by boiling donkeys’ skin and refining it into a tonic, which has garnered a handsome amount of income for the Anhui couple.

They have also started to employ several previously impoverished villagers and people living on subsistence allowances, while helping those looking to throw their own hat into the donkey business.