Have you heard of Aquaponics? Victor Lo Wai Tak started to be interested in Aquaponics, a symbiotic combination in which plants are fed by the aquatic animals’discharge or waste, in his fourth year at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

In 2016, he started his agricultural business in Jiangmen, a southern city of Guangdong Province. But in the beginning, he knew nobody there and had neither money nor professional agricultural techniques.

“We were lucky to get support from Jiangmen Agricultural Technology Innovation Centre, who offered us a greenhouse for free. So, we can do our preliminary research there. That's how we started our business,” said Victor.

The past seven years saw both mistakes and progress made by Victor and his team. But they finally succeeded in Jiangmen. Victor sells their vegetables not only to Guangzhou and Shenzhen but also Hong Kong after they acquired qualification to supply Hong Kong. “We are also planning to build our own brand and cooperate with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations),” said Victor.

With his business growing bigger in Jiangmen, Victor feels that Jiangmen has become his second hometown.

According to Victor, what makes him most proud is that the total tax revenue of his company has exceeded the total amount of the funding that he has received from the government since 2021. “We were nurtured by the government and now our company is profitable and can feed back society,” said Victor.

Organized by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and the Guangdong provincial government, the 2023 Overseas Chinese Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Conference will be held in Jiangmen, Guangdong province, from May 16 to 18 to observe the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and tap the opportunities for business, investment, employment, and education.

According to Pang Guomei, Director of the Provincial Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, About 700 people from 90 countries and regions — including more than 100 overseas Chinese youth — have been invited to attend the conference, which will include visits to Bay Area cities in Guangdong.

As one of the overseas Chinese being invited, Victor regards this conference as a good chance for overseas Chinese to strengthen ties and understand more about Jiangmen and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (the GBA). “This conference not only unites overseas Chinese but also serves as an important platform for good local products to expand overseas.”

Reporter: Li Qiaoxin

Video: Qin Shaolong

Graphic designer: Mia

English version: Rofel

English editors: Wing, Olivia, Will, Jerry