The lives of poultry farmers in Dingdang, in the Guangxi autonomous region, have changed much in the nearly two years since the mainland's first outbreak of H5N1 was reported there.
In January last year, the government confirmed there had been a bird flu outbreak among ducks on a local farm - the first recorded case on the mainland.
The local government ordered 14,000 birds to be culled within a 3km radius of the infected farm. The poultry business plummeted and many feared Dingdang's thriving bird farms would never recover.
Afraid of another outbreak, locals formed a poultry farmers' association in June and, with local government backing, started a joint venture with a Guangxi company to introduce modern breeding technology.
Association chairman Zhong Youzan said: 'The joint venture gives farmers access to technology and other resources. All the poultry farms are managed together to minimise the danger of an outbreak.'
Mr Zhong said farmers had implemented strict rules after the last year's outbreak. 'All vehicles within a 20km radius of the breeding ground are checked. They are thoroughly cleaned before we let them in. We regularly carry out random checks on the poultry farms,' he said.
