COFCO Oils & Oilseeds (Guangyuan) Co Ltd sign procurement agreements with multiple suppliers at the opening ceremony of the sixth Rapeseed Flower Cultural Festival, which kicked off on Friday in Zhaohua district, Guangyuan, Sichuan province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The sixth Rapeseed Flower Cultural Festival kicked off on Friday in Zhaohua district, Guangyuan, Sichuan province, featuring a range of activities designed to boost the full industrial chain built around rapeseed and drive rural vitalization.
Unlike a simple sightseeing event, the annual festival in Zhaohua's Xinrong village serves as a comprehensive platform integrating contract farming, intangible cultural heritage displays, field experiences and livestream e-commerce.
Visitors admire blooming rapeseed flowers at the sixth Rapeseed Flower Cultural Festival in Xinrong village, Zhaohua district, Guangyuan, Sichuan province, on Friday. [Photo by Tang Biao/For chinadaily.com.cn]
"The contract guarantees my stable income, and I never worry about selling my harvest anymore," said Ren Guojun, a local rapeseed farmer who signed a contract with COFCO Oils & Oilseeds (Guangyuan) Co for the sixth consecutive year.
Zhang Yu, head of COFCO Oils & Oilseeds (Guangyuan) Co, which signed procurement agreements with multiple suppliers in Zhaohua, said large-scale contract farming stabilizes upstream supply and quality while effectively increasing growers' incomes.
Visitors admire blooming rapeseed flowers at the sixth Rapeseed Flower Cultural Festival in Xinrong village, Zhaohua district, Guangyuan, Sichuan province, on Friday. [Photo by Tang Biao/For chinadaily.com.cn]
The festival also generates additional income for villagers through farmstays and local specialty sales, while on-site demonstrations of traditional oil-pressing techniques—recognized as intangible cultural heritage—enhance the value of local rapeseed oil products, Zhang said.
For the first time, the event introduced livestreaming as a new business format, inviting student teams from Sichuan Vocational College of Information Technology to participate.
Visitors admire blooming rapeseed flowers at the sixth Rapeseed Flower Cultural Festival in Xinrong village, Zhaohua district, Guangyuan, Sichuan province, on Friday. [Photo by Tang Biao/For chinadaily.com.cn]
Du Jun, dean of the college's School of Digital Economy, said seven students majoring in livestreaming were involved, operating three camera positions at the site.
"Moving our livestreaming classroom to the rapeseed fields allows students to embrace the countryside and spring, nurturing an appreciation for aesthetics while honing their professional skills in real agricultural scenarios," she said.
Visitors admire blooming rapeseed flowers at the sixth Rapeseed Flower Cultural Festival in Xinrong village, Zhaohua district, Guangyuan, Sichuan province, on Friday. [Photo by Tang Biao/For chinadaily.com.cn]
Du added that collaboration with leading enterprises like COFCO provides students with a quality platform that bridges hands-on education with industrial engagement, enabling vocational education to better serve local economic development.
Shang Xiurong, who runs a farmstay in Xinrong village, said villagers only focused on farming in the past, but now they think about how to attract tourists.
"During this month when rapeseed flowers are in bloom, we get so many tourists that our farmstay is fully booked on weekends," she said. "Better days are ahead."
