Xu Xiaoping and her husband, Finger Frank, are founders of Greenland Marine Equipment in Motou town, Rugao. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

The story of Xu Xiaoping and her husband, Finger Frank, began at a Shanghai trade fair, where Xu's focus and professionalism left a lasting impression. What started as mere admiration grew into a partnership in life and, eventually, in entrepreneurship.

In October 2022, the couple founded Greenland Marine Equipment, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Germany-based MM-Offshore. Motou town's strong industrial foundation and convenient access to Shanghai made it an ideal base for their venture.

Still, the early stages brought challenges, particularly with foreign-invested enterprise registration and tax procedures. To help the company settle smoothly, the Motou government formed a dedicated service team to assist with paperwork, agency processing, and policy guidance. Entrepreneurship subsidies and incentives further supported the company through its initial phase.

On June 21 this year, the company invested $30.6 million in a new 25,000-square-meter plant equipped with multiple automated production lines. The facility will significantly boost capacity and efficiency, with an expected annual output value of 400 million yuan ($56.24 million). The project will reinvigorate Motou's high-end equipment manufacturing cluster.

For Finger Frank, Motou has become a second home. He and Xu often spend weekends running along the Longyou River greenway or visiting the Huaxia Flower Market, embracing the town that now shapes both their life and career.