Strawberry fields are forever Two children taste fresh strawberries at the International Strawberry Symposium in Beijing's Changping d...

Strawberry fields are forever

Two children taste fresh strawberries at the International Strawberry Symposium in Beijing's Changping district on Saturday. This was the first time that the four-yearly event, which ended on Wednesday, was hosted by an Asian nation. More than 100 types of strawberry were on display this year. Zhang Yu / Xinhua

If you step into one of Yu Li's greenhouses, you will smell what's growing before you see it.

Green leaves cover the earth as sweet fragrance does the air, but crouch down and there lies the red fruit tucked beneath, dressed in sparkling dewdrops, like sleeping beauty waiting for her prince.

Located in the Changping district of Beijing's northwest suburbs, Yu's family, like other local residents, started growing strawberries in 2005, and they have now developed it into a booming business.

Indeed, the strawberry has brought prosperity to Changping in general and greatly changed the lives of local people.

"We built three greenhouses at first," said 36-year-old Yu. "Now my family owns 20."

All seven adult members of Yu's family are devoted to the strawberry business.

"Planting strawberries has brought wealth to my whole family," she said. "I earned 15,000 yuan ($2,400) from each greenhouse last year."

Previously, Yu had worked as an accountant in a local hospital where she earned 20,000 yuan a year.

But looking after strawberries demands more time and effort than looking after numbers.

"I have to be involved in every step, from buying seedlings, cultivating them, advertising, selling and so on," Yu added. "While as an accountant, I didn't need to worry much after 5 pm."

Local government has played an active role in encouraging local people to plant strawberries and grow a business.

"My family gained subsidies from the government to cover half of the cost of building the greenhouses. In 2005, a greenhouse cost 20,000 yuan. Now it has risen to 60,000 yuan but the subsidy is still half," Yu said. "So almost all my neighbors and friends have turned to growing strawberries."

Like her neighbor Wang Yiyi: "My strawberries are pollution-free," she says, while picking a strawberry and putting into her mouth. "Mmmm it tastes better in the morning and after sunset, when it's cooler."

Wang never worries about selling her strawberries. "Visitors have to make a reservation in the picking seasons, which usually lasts from January to June, to guarantee getting their strawberries," Wang said. "Last weekend visitors picked 75 kilograms and I had to send some of my customers to my neighbors."

Wang's family bought their first mini van in 2009 after four years of growing strawberries.

She said that local people were reluctant to grow the fruit in the beginning, but in 2008 more than 100 greenhouses suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Now, it is almost impossible for other villagers to join in because there is not enough land for more greenhouses.

Unlike Yu and Wang's small family business, Zhang Ying and her elder sister invested about 2 million yuan to establish a strawberry business and aimed for a bigger market.

Zhang's Beijing Sanzi Strawberry Planting Company has 36 greenhouses covering 28,800 square meters.

"I wish our enterprise could be more of a leisure center for visitors," Zhang said, "where they could enjoy much more than just the strawberries."

Even so, the reputation of Changping's strawberry fields is widespread, and this week the International Strawberry Symposium is taking place in the district.

"The strawberry business has been helping to boost tourism in the area," Jin Shudong, chief of Changping district government, told a news conference for the symposium.

Dong Qinghua, a professor at Beijing University of Agriculture, said that Changping offers natural advantages for planting strawberries.

"Changping is located between hills and plains, where the weather is cool, and strawberries like the location and temperature there," he said.

Dong added that the local authorities also provided technical support to farmers, which helped the strawberry industry.

"Changping strawberries are fulfilling the needs of customers in the capital," Dong said. "As Changping is close to downtown Beijing, it is ideally placed to provide fresh f