Han Ying, a senior student at Qinghai Nationalities University, has turned her hobby into a livelihood.

Five years ago, Han became interested in succulent plants entirely by chance, she said. In 2017, she participated in a start-up association at the university to learn about how to start her own business as a college student.

Although the process was not easy, Han eventually built a "kingdom of succulents" with 140,000 plants in five greenhouses, and daily revenue reched 3,000 yuan ($464.7) in Baijia village of Ping'an town in Northwest China's Qinghai province.

Last year, Han opened her greenhouses as a place for local college students to gain skills, and provided jobs to local villagers.