Fred Yang was born in a small village near the river in the distant hills of Huaihua, Hunan. After University in Hunan, Fred left his home province for the promises of adventure and development in Shanghai. He enjoyed some success as a high school English teacher for eleven years. Later he worked in large western firms in Property Management, but in his success Fred was haunted by one question - "Why am I doing this?" In 2008, propelled by this question, Fred and his wife decided to move back to his hometown to work the land as an organic farmer. After the first year, Fred was convinced that this was was his calling. In this presentation Fred talks about his 'Rainbow of Hope' project that connects Shanghai families to rural villages. through regular deliveries of organic produce from the countryside, allowing the people of both locals to share the land, resources, culture, and food.

1. Sharing Nature
How two businesses are building a network to usher in the new economy
Fred Yang - Green Drinks Shanghai Forum – 23rd July, 2015

2. Things to share

3. Things to share: My home village, my treasured heritage

4. Sharing

5. The “Rainbow of Hope” Scheme for Farmers
Shanghai Family
Farming Family
Healthy food & home-stay
refreshment tour in nature.
Money to support the family
to stay at home.

6. “Rainbow of Hope” Scheme for Farmers
Farmers of Western Hunan
--Much Higher Income, Improved Land
Yield
1、 Annual Income was about RMB 1,300，
with the support of the project, the
Annual Income is above RMB 16,000 ;
2、The yield of the agricultural land has
improved after the repeated organic
planting, free from pollution of
chemical fertilizers and pesticides;
3、Beneficial for social stability of the
Community.
Urban Residents in Shanghai
--Harvest of pollution-free. high quality
green produces
1、 Enjoy the personalized service of natural
organic produce, without any threat of
pollution, the taste are all of excellent
quality;
2、Has opportunity to visit the matching
farmers, and enjoy the purity and
simplicity of village life;
3、The greening of your shopping basket.

7. Sharing

8. Mushrooms & Rice – Sharing Nutrients and Land
Learning from nature – we utilize
the ecological cycle

9. Sharing the view

10. Background
Meet Maarten the social entrepreneur. Maarten is a
master of appreciative observation, among other
things.
More than 2 years ago, Maarten and his business
partner decided to build a retreat destination for
escaping the ‘busy-ness’ of modern life.
To date their first Laojia destination has
accommodated hundreds of city-weary travelers
and gotten all 5-star ratings on AirBnB, as well as
high praises from previous guests who appreciate
the uniqueness, authenticity, and intimacy of the
China village experience that it provides.
In the future, the Laojia brand hopes to expand to
become a destination retreat for workshops, team-
building, yoga retreats, and digital nomads in
search of spiritual and mental refuge.

11. Changes
u Beautiful places underrated / at-risk
u Internet changing:
u The way people find travel destinations
u The way people Work

12. How sharing saved the project
u You share your story, we share our
respect
u You share your problem, we share
solutions

13. Background
The Laojia success story

14. Addressing Excess / Scarcity
Urban
Capital
• Human
• Financial
• Opportunity
• Connectivity
• Education
• Market Access
• Knowledge
Rural
Natural
Capital
• Ecosystem
Services
• Quiet Places
• Pristine soil, air
& water
• Culture
• Wisdom

15. The Future of the Network
Online
Platform
Technology
Projects
Land
People
Organizations
Economy
SocietyEnvironment
Lean
Production
Quality
Sustainability
Connectivity

16. The Future of the Economy
The Sustainable Economy
of the Future
Social
Trends
New
Technology
Sharing
Economy
Understanding
Of Ecology
• Connectivity
• Trust
• Efficiency
• Crowd Sourcing
• Bio-Tech
• Biomimicry
• Information
Technology
• Lowering barriers
• Global
Monitoring
• The next Green
Revolution
• Permaculture
• Agro-Forestry
• Sustainable Forestry
• Myco-symbiosis
• Environmental
Awareness
• Health Awareness
• Localization
• Urban Stress

17. The Laojia Network 2015 Program
Landing Site in
400 year-old
Village
Farm House One First Tree House
Cluster
Infrastructure /
Energy Projects
-
Bring the model
to Loajia
Locations

18. The Laojia Network 2015 Program
Landing House
• Gather design parameters
• Estimate cost
• Crowd-fund
• Repair and Upgrade
Farmhouse
One
• Gather design parameters
• Invite designers / planners to Landing House to get input
• Work with local farmers to validate design
• Crowd Fund
• Build structures
• Fill in Details / Décor through design competition, crowd-sourced design, pro-bono
professionals
Tree House
• Gather design parameters
• Design Structures
Recruit Farmers & Investor/
Buyers
Select Chief of Hospitality /
Provide Training
Bring Farmers to Site
Select House Manager

19. Needs
u Web development for marketing and logistics, platforms to increase profitability of distribution for
local farmers by leveraging the sharing economy, promotion and knowledge exchange platforms,
mobile management tools
u Architects to help envision modern upgrades to understand and preserve the intrinsic knowledge of
local vernacular architecture
u Designers to make each project a unique and memorable experience for travelers
u NGO Partners
u Technical support for community master planning
u Business and company formation consulting
u Visitors
u Organic food customers
u Ideas
u Friends
u Feedback
www.laojia-net.strikingly.com
www.laojia-net-fh1.strikingly.com
www.rainbowofhope.strikingly.com
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1310347?s=klkx