Wu Huilai said when his destiny closed a door 22 years ago, it also opened a big window for him.

The 67-year-old resident of a mountainous village in Lingshou county, Hebei province, was laid off from a construction company in 1999, after which he started to make use of the natural advantages of his hometown for planting Chinese medicinal herbs.

"The mountainous area in our county is very suitable for growing herbs, which is more fruitful than just planting crops," Wu said.

Hills and mountains occupy almost 90 percent of the county's 1,066 square kilometers of land, according to the county's government. And the county has boasted a history of about 2,000 years of being rich in Chinese medicinal herbs.

But to the layman starting to plant herbs, everything was so hard at the beginning. He didn't have enough money to rent land, nor did he know the techniques behind planting herbs.

"Things were hard before they got easy, I first bought many books on herbs and planting skills, and then went to a college to systematically learn professional knowledge," he said.

He also got a loan from local banks with the support of the local government.

Over time, Wu's planting skills matured and he also explored more channels for selling his products.

"After everything was on the right track, I called on more villagers to join me because this can really make us a fortune," he said.

He started to provide free training on how to grow herbs for local peasants and invited experts to guide their plantation and management.

"I can earn twice the profit for a season of herbs compared with two seasons of crops," one of Wu's followers Hou Qiumang said. Hou added he could make about 5,000 yuan ($777.5) for planting 0.07 hectares of red-rooted salvia, a Chinese medicinal herb.

With the help of Wu, 28 herb cooperatives have been established in 15 towns across the county, benefiting more than 28,000 residents, according to a report by Hebei Youth Daily.

"I never expected my foray into a new field could yield so many good results, and I hope I can do more to help villagers in my hometown live a better life," Wu said.