Soldiers stationed on the Xisha Islands have said goodbye to preserved food after experts showed them how to grow fresh vegetables and fruits with state-of-the-art technology.

 

The greenhouse on the islands has been specially designed to cope with the hostile climate by experts from Shanghai Dushi Green Engineering Co Ltd.

 

The Xisha islands are a rugged isolated group of islands in the South China Sea. The islands have relied in the past on the mainland to supply fresh produce. But as the islands are often subject to typhoons and hostile weather, soldiers stationed there had to eat canned foods for up to a month at a time.

 

One result of this was that soldiers suffered vitamin deficiencies. But those hard times are now over.

 

The new greenhouse is strong enough to withstand typhoons, sun, rain and corrosion and is expected to produce 400,000 kilograms of vegetables and fruits every year.

 

Solar panels on the roof transmute sunlight into energy, coconut shells are used to foster seedlings and water is recycled.

 

Soldiers had tried to plant their own vegetables in the past and even brought soil back from their home towns. But the plants struggled in the severe conditions and if they did grow they were not very tasty.

 

The greenhouse was completed in just 70 days and now there are 17 varieties of vegetables thriving, including cucumbers and tomatoes.

 

"I used to dream of having fresh fruit and vegetables everyday and now the dream has come true," said Yang Xuezhi, a soldier who has served 14 years on the islands.

 

(Shanghai Daily August 24, 2007)