On January 6, heavy snow blanketed the lettuce fields in Ruerzhai Village, Minjiang Township, Songpan County, Aba Prefecture. Villager Zewang Renchen finally had a moment to rest and shared his joy for 2025: "All five households in the village growing lettuce earned over one million yuan each. I cultivated 48 mu and sold my harvest for more than 600,000 yuan."

Ruerzhai Village, with an average elevation of 3,200 meters, is a typical high-altitude semi-mountainous settlement, home to only 105 households and 418 residents, yet it boasts abundant land resources. Since 2009, lettuce cultivation has become the primary source of income for villagers. By 2025, the village's total lettuce planting area reached 3,374 mu, including 3,000 mu under large-scale cultivation. "In 2025, lettuce sales revenue amounted to 32.9 million yuan, an increase of over 50% year-on-year," said Wang Tengfei, Party branch secretary of the village. He added that, for more than a decade, thanks to high quality, favorable prices, and reliable market access, most households have turned a profit nearly every year.

Terraced fields in Ruerzhai Village are filled with lettuce

The high quality stems from meticulous farming practices. Zewang Renchen pulled out an iron arch-shaped frame and explained, "This was used back then to secure lettuce on horseback for transport." In 2009, village roads were still muddy trails, so produce had to be carried by people or horses—limiting transport volume and damaging the appearance of the lettuce. Most families therefore planted only about 2 mu. In 2013, hardened roads reached every village group, and farm-to-field access roads were completed, resolving transportation challenges and subsequently improving product quality.

Favorable pricing results from the village's altitude-driven advantage of staggered market entry. While lettuce from Aba Prefecture is typically sold between September and early November, Ruerzhai Village can extend sales until mid-November. "Prices fluctuate daily; this timing difference creates income disparities," Wang Tengfei noted. In 2025, local lettuce generally sold for over 2 yuan per jin, while prices in Ruerzhai Village reached as high as over 3 yuan per jin.

Villagers harvesting lettuce (file photo)

Strong market access arises from precise grasp of market information. In recent years, Songpan County has pooled 18.2 million yuan in funding to advance irrigation projects, construct high-standard farmland, and develop an industrial road network, thereby strengthening the sector's foundation. "Next, we will build processing workshops, cold-storage facilities, and grading and packaging equipment to shift from raw-material sales to preliminary processing, developing products such as dried lettuce and fresh-keeping vegetables. We will also explore a 'Science and Technology Courtyard + live-stream e-commerce' model, train local livestreamers, and enhance brand premium," said Ren Qingyan, Deputy Party Secretary and Township Head of Minjiang Township.

【本文部分内容由AI辅助生成，特此声明。The author(s) generated part of the content in this work with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), which is hereby declared.】