Slim-built and of medium height, with a pair of big, intense eyes, Xu Liqiu gives the impression of being caring and protective. However, Xu, who runs her own animal husbandry business, says her appearance is deceptive; in reality, she's a very determined and insistent person.

At 31, Xu is the owner and director of Jiutai Tianyuan Animal Husbandry Farm in Northeast China's Jilin province. Unlike most livestock farms in the province, which mainly raise animals for eating, Xu's farm produces rare and attractive birds for ornamental purposes.

So far, the farm has more than 100 peacocks, both blue and white, and about 300 rare birds of other varieties, including golden pheasants and reeves. After the next incubation period, there will be around 1,000 peacocks and 3,000 birds of other kinds.

Since the farm was established in 2011, Xu has won many awards for her achievements as a young woman entrepreneur and a university student who established a business after graduation. Xu, who is still single, has been dubbed the "Peacock Princess" by the locals.

"People have only heard about the glamorous side of my career, but they rarely learn of the hardships I have been through," she says.

"I weigh less than 50 kilograms, but I can carry two big barrels of water, I can chop the vegetables for the peacocks' food for four hours straight, and during the incubation period, I get up to monitor the eggs every two hours at night," she says.

"The conditions are improving now and the farm has four workers. During the first year, to save money, I did most of the work myself, including feeding the animals, cleaning the farm and cooking. And even nowadays, I have to spend all the holidays on the farm because no one wants to work at that time," she says.

Xu's talent for business first showed itself during her university days.

While her classmates and friends were watching American or British TV series online or tuning in to entertainment shows on television, Xu was watching the CCTV agricultural channel, showing particular interest in the Agricultural Business program. She came from a rural family, but unlike many of her peers who dreamed of settling in the city, Xu always planned to return to village life someday.

After graduating from Jilin University with a degree in marketing, Xu found a good job with a competitive salary in Changhcun, the provincial capital. She did well in the company and was promoted to sales manager.

Her relatives saw her success as a good example to follow in educating their children, but Xu left her job and declared her intention of returning to village life and setting up her own business there.

The move met with strong opposition from her parents and relatives. But only Xu knew that she had been preparing for this move since her first day at university.

She first bought the abandoned school in her village and signed a long-term contract to rent the land behind the school, using the majority of her savings.

"With the farm business gradually getting better and the farm begin to make a profit, some villagers and especially some of my relatives have changed their attitude toward me."

She said now that the business has been firmly established, their scepticism has been replaced with pride.

The first impression visitors get on arriving at the farm is one of neatness. There are rows of cages, each containing a few birds, along with various kinds of fruit trees, flowers and other plants. The place is more like a small zoo or nature park than a farm.

"Peacocks are very sensitive to noise. To keep them calm and in a good mood, I often play light music for them," Xu says.

An adult peacock with brilliant features can sell for 3,000 to 4,000 yuan ($481 to $642). But it takes from three to five years for them to mature, and during this time, there are no profits, only costs. "It would be disaster if they became infected with diseases. I cannot afford to lose any of them," Xu says.

Xu feeds the birds on vegetables and crops she has grown herself, using the bird droppings as manure.

With more stable orders from customers, the farm's business is improving day by day. However, Xu's plans are not limited to more orders.

"I am the daughter of a rural family and I was fully aware of the difficulties my parents went through to raise my sister and I, and how they saved every penny to pay for our college education. I hope to help more villagers escape from poverty," she says.

Contact the writers through hena@chinadaily.com.cn

Ding Luyang contributed to this story.

Xu Liqiu feeds the birds on vegetables and crops she has grown herself, using the bird droppings as manure. Photos by Ding Luyang / China Daily

A peacock displays its feathers to visitors. Xu often plays light music for the birds to keep them calm and in a good mood.

(China Daily 06/01/2014 page5)