Feature: Cross-Strait bridge of love built on 75-year-old Taiwan businessman's farmland

Kuo Yang-fu is pictured in the office in his farming complex in Ezhou, central China's Hubei Province, March 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

WUHAN, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Hu Xuemei, 47, has never been to Taiwan, nor had she ever imagined any connection to the island until Kuo Yang-fu opened a farming complex near her home in a village in central Hubei Province on the Chinese mainland.

Having worked at the complex for many years, Hu now hopes to visit the island, the hometown of her friendly boss and his wife, who have created a dream job opportunity for her and helped boost the village's income.

"I feel grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Kuo for what they have done for the village, and I wish to know more compatriots from Taiwan," she said.

Kuo, 75, a businessman from Taiwan, had never imagined himself in the agricultural industry in his younger years, having mainly engaged in sectors such as manufacturing and venture capital in Taiwan and the mainland.

The connection began in 2013, when Kuo and his wife, Kuo Hsin-kuei, were invited by the local government to research potential business opportunities in Ezhou, Hubei. Prior to that, Kuo, despite having retired from his previous businesses, had been looking for "something to do."

There, they noticed the then underdeveloped town of Duandian. Encouraged by favorable investment policies and the prospect of helping local residents out of poverty, the couple established an agricultural company in 2014. They began developing a farming complex on more than 670 hectares of farmland across five villages, including the one where Hu lives.

Over the past decade, Kuo has built dozens of greenhouses and plantations in the complex, with great investment to improve soil quality. It is now the largest Taiwan-invested farming complex in Hubei, seeing more than 5,000 daily agritourism visitors during holidays and other peak periods.

By paying rents for land-use rights and employing villagers, the company generates more than 14 million yuan (about 2 million U.S. dollars) in annual income for nearby households in total.

"It's lucky for me to have the complex to work for, to offer me a job near my home that enables me to stay with my family," said Hu, who used to work for years in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, nearly 1,000 kilometers away from her home in Ezhou.

For Kuo, it is a pleasure to see the vibrant landscapes he has created from barren ground, and he often takes a moment to enjoy them from the benches in the complex during his free time.

"The willows would turn verdant in spring, their branches dancing more gracefully than ballet performers; while in summer, I would watch the butterflies, bees and fruits," he said affectionately.

The villagers, some of whom have become full-time employees or temporary workers for the company, have become his friends, and in some cases more than that. They often bring him homemade cured meat and free-range eggs, and sometimes even invite him, as a respected elder, to family gatherings, such as when a young man introduces his prospective bride for the first time.

Kuo has set up free canteens for elderly residents in the villages and organizes birthday parties for them.

In February 2021, a grand gathering was held in Beijing, announcing China's complete victory in its fight against absolute poverty. Kuo's company was among 1,501 organizations honored with the title of poverty-fighting models at the gathering.

Earlier this year, Kuo was named to the 2025 annual list of model figures in agriculture, rural development and rural people-related affairs released by China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, becoming the third individual from Taiwan to receive the honor in the past 20 years.

"It's like watching a baby growing up," Kuo said, reviewing his farmland journey. "It is the people here who have accomplished all these, and they have also helped my dream come true."

A worker picks strawberries at Kuo Yang-fu's farming complex in Ezhou, central China's Hubei Province, March 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Workers tend to flowers at Kuo Yang-fu's farming complex in Ezhou, central China's Hubei Province, March 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)