François Racette: Opening a farm in Kaihua

François Racette (left) and his family. [Photo/qz123.com]

François Racette and his wife Jin Bihui fell in love in Canada, where they lived for many years. In 2016, they decided to move back to Jin's hometown, Kaihua, a county in Quzhou, Zhejiang province, to help her family with their farm. They were impressed by the remarkable changes and the convenient lifestyle in Kaihua.

"I was amazed when I came back in 2016. It was totally different from when I left in 2005," said Jin.

François added that: "I was also surprised by how well China has developed. Everything is so easy with e-commerce, express delivery, and takeout."

They felt that Kaihua had a lot of opportunities and potential, so they settled down and start their own farm business there.

Their first goal was to make enough money selling their farm products to cover their living expenses and farm operation costs.

Their main product was clear water fish, which they raised in a traditional way. They dug ponds near mountain springs and used the natural water to feed the fish. The fish ate organic grass and drank spring water, which gave them a fresh and tender taste with no fishy smell.

They also grew tea on the hills. François loves tea from Kaihua, saying it was the best he had ever tasted. He believes that the tea was so good because it was watered by the Qiantang River, which gave it a sweet aftertaste.

They sold their clear water fish and tea through various channels, such as a direct sales center in the county, WeChat Moments, and Douyin. Their products sold well.

This year is their third year living in Kaihua. In 2022, they started sharing their daily life on a short video platform. They now have more than 200,000 followers, who enjoy watching their videos and want to visit Kaihua to experience the food, scenery, and culture there.

In the future, they want to build their own brand and IP based on their short video account. They also hope to cooperate with cross-border e-commerce platforms and promote their farm products and rural tourism in Kaihua around the world.