A Taizhou entrepreneur's journey of growth and giving in Angola
Zhu Jinlin. [Photo/WeChat account: tzwq2018]
Zhu Jinlin, a native of Taizhou, Jiangsu, traveled to Angola in 2008 for the first time and saw opportunities in the emerging market. A year later, he established a construction company there, starting out with engineering contracting and gradually building a foothold in the country.
His career took a new direction in 2011, when China and Angola launched a joint project to develop large-scale farms. Zhu's company undertook two subprojects, giving him his first close look at modern agriculture and sparking his interest in the sector.
In 2012, Zhu invested in building his own farm. By 2016, when he was approved to develop the Huambo Farm, his agricultural operations had expanded to more than 10,000 hectares.
The investment agreement for Huambo Farm was signed in Macao in 2016. [Photo/WeChat account: tzwq2018]
To adapt modern farming practices to local conditions, Zhu invested heavily in agricultural research. He built his own weather station to monitor local climate conditions, conducted soil tests and improvement experiments, and sent soil samples back to China for expert analysis and crop selection. He also invited Chinese agricultural specialists to Angola to guide trial planting and established a research team to develop suitable crop varieties.
The efforts paid off. In 2019, Huambo Farm harvested five crops, including corn and soybeans, with yields significantly higher than local averages. Corn yields exceeded 600 kilograms per mu (about 667 square meters), setting a record for Angola.
For years, Zhu has brought Chinese agricultural experts to Angola to train local farmers, providing hands-on instruction in modern farming techniques. More than 200 agricultural technicians have received training through these programs.
He has also supported Angolan students in studying at Jiangsu Agri-animal Husbandry Vocational College in Taizhou. After graduation, many returned to Angola and joined the farm as management and technical staff, forming a new generation of professionals contributing to the country's agricultural development.
Zhu has also sought to give back to the local community. In 2019, he donated $300,000 to build the Angola-Taizhou Hope Primary School in Chicala-Cholohanga and provided schoolbags, stationery and other supplies, helping nearly 500 young people from surrounding villages gain access to education closer to home.
His charitable efforts have extended to healthcare, housing and social welfare. He has helped build community hospitals and resettlement housing, donated money and supplies to orphanages, provided food to neighboring communities during periods of supply shortages, and donated epidemic-prevention and daily necessities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As president of the Jiangsu Chamber of Commerce in Angola, Zhu has actively promoted exchanges between Jiangsu and Angola across multiple fields. In 2018, he worked with Hongqi Seed Industry to introduce seed-production technology to Angola. In 2024, with Zhu's assistance, Taizhou Medical High-Tech Zone Experimental Primary School and the Angola-Taizhou Hope Primary School established a partnership.
