JPE Brand Event｜A Visit to Yunqiu Mountain Hope Farm: Witnessing the Dignity and Possibility Behind Labor

In May 2025, the JPE team traveled to Yunqiu Mountain in Shanxi Province to participate in an event that was more than just a site visit. We visited the "Yunqiu Mountain Hope Farm," which had just been awarded the national honor of "Advanced Collective for Disability Employment in China." For the past decade, this base has been dedicated to vocational training and life reconstruction for persons with disabilities. Our goal on this trip was to step into their everyday lives and understand the effort and values behind this recognition.



Film Screening and Sharing: A Decade in Review, Reflected in Every Heart
The visit began with the screening of the documentary Turning Palms, which captures how Hope Farm has spent the past ten years supporting wave after wave of trainees—guiding them from being “defined by others” to becoming truly “seen”—through a model that combines agricultural therapy with skill-based training.



During the post-screening sharing session, there were no grandiose words or preset narratives. The participants' stories were drawn from daily life: the joy of selling their first batch of vegetables, or the satisfaction of saying, “I’m tired, but today was worth it.” These seemingly small moments truly capture the essence of independent living—not through monumental achievements, but through a slow and steady journey of healing and standing up again.

From Observation to Immersion: A Farm That’s More Than Just a Farm
Next, the JPE team representatives toured the farm, starting with the living quarters. Unlike traditional institutional dormitories, Hope Farm provides simple yet dignified accommodations for its trainees. Each person has their own bed and storage area—clean, organized, not just livable but genuinely comfortable.

The farm manager explained that these facilities have been gradually developed since 2017, with total investment exceeding 10 million RMB, and plans to complete the renovation of the dining area by 2025. Beyond infrastructure, what left a deeper impression was the farm’s core philosophy: it is not a care-based institution, but a learning environment where every trainee is viewed as an individual actively learning to live and work. This approach significantly alters the atmosphere and role dynamics of the entire space.



We also engaged in their daily routines. Whether using seeding tools or bending down to till soil and water plants, we as visitors experienced firsthand the labor that makes up the trainees’ everyday lives. These seemingly ordinary tasks carry profound healing and restorative significance. From farming to baking, each step has been carefully designed to help trainees regain their rhythm and confidence in a predictable, manageable environment.

Policy Context: Witnessing the Collaboration Between Systems and People
This visit coincided with Hope Farm being awarded the national recognition of “Advanced Collective for Disability Employment.” This honor, jointly issued by the State Council’s Working Committee on Disability, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, not only affirms the spirit of self-reliance among people with disabilities but also highlights practitioners who provide real support mechanisms and create possibilities for inclusion.



What sets Yunqiu Mountain’s Hope Farm apart is not grand scale, but its pragmatic and grounded approach. The farm invests 1.2 to 1.5 million RMB annually in operations, offering hands-on training and life support so that trainees are not just “cared for,” but actively working and earning income. Currently, the revenue generated by trainees each year reaches 400,000 to 500,000 RMB—a tangible process of both empowering the mind and fostering ambition.

What Participants Gained: A Rethinking of What “Support” Means
For the JPE team, this was far more than a one-way visit. We witnessed that “helping others” does not require a charitable posture, and “support” can take the form of structured empowerment. Through its genuine, gentle yet determined pace, Hope Farm offers a different vision of society: one in which resources are invested in cultivating people’s capabilities, rather than merely filling gaps.



This experience also prompted us to reflect on the role of companies and organizations in society. If more platforms are willing to partner with institutions like this—to jointly promote education, employment, inclusion, or vocational transition—then building an inclusive society would no longer be just a slogan.

The Meaning Behind “Turning Palms” — From Recipients to Contributors
The name Turning Palms is drawn from a powerful metaphor. A palm facing upward signifies receiving; facing downward, it symbolizes giving. To turn one’s palm represents a shift in role—from someone being helped to someone who can participate, create, and give.



This initiative, first advocated by a Taiwanese nonprofit organization and formally launched in Yunqiu Mountain in 2015, is rooted in the belief that through agricultural therapy and skill training, persons with disabilities can transition from passive recipients of care to dignified workers. This is not just an innovation in employment models—it is a profound redefinition of personal agency and life direction.

Hope Is Tangible
The natural scenery of Yunqiu Mountain is breathtaking, but what truly leaves a lasting impression are the quiet, hardworking figures at Hope Farm—those striving not only to work, but to live with purpose. Their labor doesn’t merely yield vegetables and bread; it reopens the path for lives once labeled and limited.

Hope is not an abstract ideal.
It begins when someone is willing to plant,
and another is willing to offer a piece of land.