Exports rise

The Jiangxi Rice Noodle Association, comprising nearly 100 producers, said manufacturers in the province exported 30,000 tons of Jiangxi's signature straight-cut rice noodles last year.

The figure accounted for more than 60 percent of China's exports of straight-cut rice noodles, ranking first among all provinces and regions. However, few people in China know that the rice noodles come from Jiangxi, said Yang Xiaolin, secretary of the association.

To promote brand awareness, the association applied for a collective trademark, and approval was granted in March. To raise annual sales and brand reputation, it will establish a set of production standards that will be more stringent than national regulations. Association members that adhere to the standards will be allowed to use its trademark.

Yang hopes the trademark will bolster trust among consumers. "We want them to know that rice noodles bearing our collective trademark are safe and reliable," he said. "Poor-quality suppliers will be gradually weeded out."

Guo is investing more than 2 million yuan ($290,000) to study and introduce fully automated production, and expects Jiangxi Wufeng's annual production capacity to reach 70,000 tons by 2020.

Three decades ago, she would never have imagined that the company would reach the level of success it enjoys today, or that she would be developing innovative plans for the business.

The company, which now employs 856 people earning an average 3,500 yuan a month, is raising the scale of production, and its e-commerce operations will provide about 400 new jobs in the next two years.

"I hope that, one day, Jiangxi's rice noodles will be easy to obtain and become famous, just like instant noodles," Guo said.

In the future, she hopes the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Jiangxi will not be poverty, but famously chewy rice noodles.