Flourishing under willow tree profits

HEFEI — When she was a child, perennial flooding of the Huaihe River made it difficult for Zhang Chaoling and her family to earn a living from the land.

The flooding in Funan county, Anhui province, inundated agricultural land and destroyed crops, but the moist soil was an ideal environment for willow trees to flourish. “The land is largely covered by silt because of continual flooding in the past. It’s an ideal place to plant willows and make wickerwork,” said Zhang, who now runs a thriving business in her hometown

But when she was younger, Zhang saw no financial opportunity in the willows perched on the banks of the Huaihe River, China’s sixth-largest waterway, which is prone to flooding and changing its path.

She left her hometown for Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in 1993 and found a job in a garment factory.

A few years later, she founded a trading company with her husband in Guangzhou, selling wickerwork products from her hometown for export.

Funan is famous for its intricate wickerwork. Skilled craftsmen traditionally use local willow to weave products such as baskets, furniture and home decorations. The 500year-old craft was placed on the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011.

Zhang’s business kept growing over the years as global demand grew due to the wickerwork’s aesthetic appeal and its environmentally friendly status.

Zhang eventually returned to Funan county and by 2011 had established a wickerwork factory in her hometown.

“No matter how much money we made in Guangzhou, we were not making a contribution to the development of our hometown,” she said. “The flooding is well controlled now. I remember the last huge flood was in 2007.”

Her company has taken advantage of the fertile land along the Huaihe River, and planted a swath of willow trees, covering 133 hectares. It employs hundreds of local people who are mostly in their 50s and 60s.

Geng Shifen earns a living by harvesting willow twigs from trees located next to Zhang’s plantation.

“I can process 100 to 150 kilograms of willow twigs per day, from which I make around 80 yuan ($11). I was introduced to this job by my neighbor,” Geng said.

The twigs are dried for two days before they are sent to weaving factories as raw materials. When the process is completed, villagers like Geng can find work in factories weaving wickerwork products.

Unlike Geng, 53-year-old villager Dai Li weaves at home because he has to look after his wife, who has cancer.

“I can weave 40 willow baskets per day. For each basket, I earn about 2 yuan,” Dai said.

A total of 130,000 people are engaged in the wickerwork industry in Funan, creating products valued at nearly 9 billion yuan last year, according to local government statistics. About 15,000 people have shaken off poverty through the wickerwork industry in Funan, from planting willow trees and processing twigs to weaving products.

Wickerwork products are exported to over 120 countries and regions around the world. The export value of wickerwork has increased from $5.76 million in 2006 to more than $266 million last year.

“We are building a willow cultural park covering an area of nearly 13.3 hectares, where thousands of wickerwork products and woodcarving products will be displayed. It’s expected to be finished this year,” said Cui Li, Party chief of Funan county.