Chen is happy to see how the industry is improving farmers' lives.
"Ten years ago, dozens of buses would come to our county after Spring Festival to take hundreds of women to work in cities in the south. It was heartbreaking to see elderly people and children seeing these women off, with tears in their eyes," he said.
Jiaxiang has about 700 small workshops in nearly 600 villages, accounting for more than 80 percent of the villages in the county. These workshops have created jobs for 50,000 farmers, according to the county government, and the glove industry has lifted 260 families out of poverty.
Li Xianqing's left leg is paralyzed due to polio, which he contracted when he was 2. The 53-year-old now runs a glove production company that produced 600,000 pairs last year. About 90 percent of his gloves are sold overseas, he said.
Li's company has provided jobs for about 50 physically challenged workers.
At an industrial park in the county that specializes in glove manufacturing, a barrier-free factory has been built in line with standards set by the China Disabled Persons' Federation, including a parking lot, toilets and antiskid ramps.
To enable physically challenged farmers to master skills, the county frequently organizes training sessions for them and has provided jobs for more than 40 farmers.
Taking the opportunities offered by the Belt and Road Initiative, the county's glove industry has extended to Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, bringing wealth to more people.
In 2015, the Jianhua Zhongxing Glove Industry Group built a branch in Kashgar, which has provided jobs for more than 2,000 locals.
"The Xinjiang production base not only provides us with a more convenient and efficient route to export our gloves, but jobs for local people," Chen said.
With the 2022 Winter Olympics being held in China, orders have increased and have kept the workers busy.
"The abundance of skilled, experienced workers is important for the glove production industry," Chen added.
A good worker needs at least two years' experience. The tiniest flaw can result in a customer canceling an order, so experienced farmers are valued highly by companies, he said.
Great changes
Meanwhile, a retired European police officer is living a happy life while helping farmers to escape from poverty in a poor village in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
Nico Rene Hansen, 58, who is from Luxembourg, said great changes have taken place after more than four months of hard work in the mountainous village of Zhadong.
The passion fruit vines he planted with villagers are now growing well and all the fruit has been sold online, which will help the villagers to increase their incomes, Hansen said.
Located in the city's Yizhou district, Zhadong administers 14 smaller villages and comprises 600 villagers from 180 households. Of these, 101 families with 304 farmers are poverty-stricken.
"Six of the smaller villages still had no highways when I arrived in the village four months ago," Hansen said.
"Now highway construction for five of the six smaller villages has been completed, linking them to other parts of Guangxi and the rest of the country.
"Construction of a highway to the remaining small village will be completed before the end of the year," he said.
