A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

The village committee courtyard was packed with people, and white porcelain bowls filled with brick tea were placed on long tables.

"Vote! Vote!"

The host tapped on an enamel mug. "Let's elect the association president! Everyone, please nominate a candidate!"

A buzzing sound erupted from below. Someone shouted first, "Li Chao, Cadre Li!"

"Yes, Li Chao."

"Who else could it be besides Cadre Li?"

The voices grew more unified and louder.

Dozens of eyes were fixed intently on Li Chao, who was sitting in the front row.

The host laughed: "It seems everyone's right, Comrade Li Chao!"

"Wait a minute." Li Chao stood up.

He turned around, facing the dark mass of people, and raised his hand to press down.

"Fellow villagers, I cannot serve as the chairman of this association."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted in chaos.

Why?!

"Officer Li, you led the way in cultivating our apples, you led us into these markets, if you don't take the lead, who will?"

Village Party Secretary Aini tugged at Li Chao's sleeve and lowered his voice: "Cadre Li, don't push it away at this critical juncture."

Li Chao did not sit down.

He walked over to Aini, put his hand on his shoulder, and said to everyone, "My term of service in Xinjiang is about to end."

For the association to last, it needs someone who can stay here and support everyone.

He turned to look at Aini: "Secretary Aini was born and raised here. He knows which crops grow on which plot of land and what the situation is for each household."

Over the years, he has followed me around, learning everything from technology and marketing to management.

He can shoulder this responsibility.

Aini froze, opening her mouth as if to speak.

Someone below shouted, "Secretary Aini is good, but Cadre Li, you..."

"My body may be gone, but my heart will remain."

Li Chao interrupted him, his gaze sweeping over the familiar faces. "You planted each apple tree one by one, and you built the brand reputation by word of word."

I'm just a bridge-builder.

Now that the bridge is built, we need a local bridge keeper who will never leave.

"Secretary Aini, do you dare to accept this?"

Aini's chest heaved a few times. He stood up abruptly, walked to the table, and said, "If Cadre Li trusts me, and everyone trusts me, then I'll accept it."

From now on, I, Aini, will treat everyone equally. I'll be the first to object to anyone who tarnishes the reputation of Gobi apples.

The association held its first council meeting at the village committee on the second day after it was officially established.

Li Chao didn't sit in the main seat; he dragged a chair over and sat next to Aini.

Once everyone had arrived, he spoke first: "The first thing is to establish rules."

He took a piece of paper out of his bag and spread it on the table: "From now on, if you want to make money by selling Gobi apples, you must meet three standards: First, organic certification, and you must be careful about the fertilizers and pesticides used."

Second, the sugar content must be above 21; it cannot be sweeter than that.

Third, the fruit diameter must be over 80 millimeters; don't bother if the size isn't large enough.

There was a loud bang from below.

"Isn't that too strict!"

Old Wang from Tacheng was the first to shout, "21% sugar content? These days, most are only 18% or 19%!"

"Exactly, 80 millimeters in size? Doesn't that mean half the fruit is stuck outside?"

Aini tapped the table. "What's all the noise about? Let Officer Li finish what he has to say."

When Li Chao and the others quieted down, he continued, "Can't reach it? Then we'll help you reach it."

The association will immediately establish a technical service center, led by technical experts such as Guli and Aishan, to provide free on-site guidance.

As long as you plant according to the association's standards, I guarantee the association will buy back your produce at a minimum price, plus 10% of the market price!

"Really...really?"

"Written in black and white in the articles of association."

Li Chao said, "But let me make it clear from the start: if you want to enjoy the benefits, you have to follow the rules."

The second thing he did was take out a packaging box.

It has a red background with gold lettering that reads "Gobi Apple" and a QR code underneath.

"From now on, all members' apples will use this packaging."

A traceability QR code is affixed to the box. Consumers can scan it with their mobile phones. Li Chao took out his own phone to demonstrate, "You can see who grew this box of apples, where it was grown, how it was fertilized and sprayed with pesticides, and even the test report is inside."

Someone muttered under their breath, "Why bother with all this fancy stuff..."

"What are you doing?"

Li Chao looked up at the person speaking, "In order to sell our apples at a higher price."

To reassure buyers.

To make the name "Gobi Apple" a golden brand.

The third thing is the most ruthless.

The lawyer Li Chao hired stood up. She was a young woman wearing glasses, but she spoke crisply: "We have already registered the trademark."

From today onwards, anyone who counterfeits Gobi apples is infringing on intellectual property rights.

If we discover this once, we'll send a lawyer's letter as a warning; if they don't listen, we'll take you to court. We have the law to follow.

Once the rules are established, their implementation is what truly matters.

The association established a supervisory team, with Aini as the team leader, who would lead a team to conduct spot checks every few days.

The first time I was assigned to Uncle Wang's house, it was that old farmer who was making a fuss at the training meeting.

The test results showed that the sugar content was only 19.5.

"Uncle Wang, you can't label this batch of fruit," Aini said.

"Why should I?!"

Uncle Wang's face flushed red. "I've been growing apples for so long, what right do you, a junior, have to tell me what to do?"

"It's not that I'm trying to interfere."

Aini handed over the test report, saying, "That's the rule."

The association will buy your batch of fruit at the regular price.

"Next time you plant, a technician will come to help you."

"I don't need help!" Uncle Wang waved his hand dismissively. "These are my own apples; sell them however you want!"

"OK."

Aini put away the report. "Then you'll have to find your own sales channels."

But if you're going to use the Gobi apple brand, you have to follow the rules.

Uncle Wang stormed off in a huff.

He took the apples to the market and hawked them all day, trying to lower the price again and again, but he still couldn't sell them all.

As he packed up his stall in the evening, he squatted beside the tractor, smoking silently.

Guli rode by on her electric bike and stopped.

"Uncle Wang," she handed him a bottle of water, "actually, the problem with your batch of fruit was that the timing of fertilization wasn't right."

Next time I'll visit your field a week in advance, and I guarantee it'll be over 21.

Uncle Wang took the water without saying a word.

The next day, he quietly took the remaining apples to the association's purchasing point.

After the rules were implemented for a period of time, the effects gradually became apparent.

There are fewer counterfeit "Gobi apples" on the market now. Lawyers have sent several legal letters, and those small workshops have quietly changed their packaging.

The association publishes a unified purchase price every week, and anyone found dumping goods at a lower price will be fined.

The buyers arrived, and the price could no longer be driven down.

Apple's quality is visibly improving.

Technicians went to the fields every day, and the farmers gradually learned to fertilize at the right time and prune according to standards.

When tested again in the fall, the pass rate rose from 30% to 60%.

People lined up to apply for membership.

From the initial six cooperatives, the number has grown to twenty-three, covering more than five hundred households.

The area under apple cultivation has exceeded 5,000 mu.

At a council meeting, Old Wang from Changji raised a question: "President Aini, with such a large output, and a harvesting period of only half a month, we can't store it without cold storage."

Many fruits couldn't be sold in time and rotted at home.

Old Ma from Tacheng continued, "There's also sorting and packaging."

Now everyone is making their own, and sizes are mixed together, resulting in inconsistent quality.

We need a proper sorting center.

Aini looked at Li Chao.

Li Chao jotted down a few notes in his notebook, then looked up and said, "Let's do it. The association will take the lead in applying for project funding, and members can also raise funds."

We'll build our own warehousing and logistics center, complete with cold storage, sorting lines, and packaging workshops.