Raising chickens, a traditional industry in an ancient county, has been key to vitalizing an area that has long fought against water loss and soil erosion.

By the end of the year, Changting in Fujian province plans to have its 550,000 people raise 12 million chickens.

Hetian chickens－named after the county's main production center－are usually kept in the mountains when they reach adulthood.

"They need to walk a lot to keep their meat firm and tasting good," said Qiu Qihua, a senior expert with the county's agricultural bureau.

The improvement in green coverage and the treatment of water loss and soil erosion have made it possible to raise chickens in the mountains.

By the end of last year, the area covered by forests had risen to 80 percent, from 58 percent in 1985, while only 6.8 percent of the county's land is now subject to water loss and soil erosion, compared with 32 percent in 1985, according to the county government. "A growing number of livestock, including Hetian chickens, are being moved from backyard coops to the forests," Qiu said.

"The villagers move their chickens to new areas of pasture every few days or weeks to maintain a good environment on the mountains. In addition, the chickens' manure helps the trees grow well."

Lan Xiaohong, who owns a chicken farm in Hetian, said authentic Hetian chickens must be raised on the pasture for more than six months. "They run around on the mountains, where they eat fungi and sometimes the rare minerals contained in the red soil of our region. That makes their meat fresh and nutritious," she said.

In 2011, Lan opened a chicken farm in Xiamen, Fujian, where demand for Hetian chickens is high because there are so many large restaurants.

The move was intended to lower transportation costs, but the quality and taste of the chickens were poorer than those raised in Hetian, so Lan closed her farm the next year.

In 1964, Hetian chickens were recognized as one of the world's five best chickens at The Canton Fair in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. The fair's participants rated the chickens in terms of figure, weight, feathers and meat.

The other four breeds came from the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy.

Realizing that Hetian chickens can't be raised outside Changting, Lan has focused on running her business back in her hometown.

In 2017, the organizers of the ninth BRICS Summit, held in Xiamen, put her chickens on their menu.

Last year, Lan's company earned 13 million yuan ($2 million). It also helped raise the incomes of 100 households in the village by purchasing their chickens to sell online.