Zhang Shanfeng of Xinshe, Taichung, China offers one-stop agricultural processing services
Eight years ago, Zhang Shanfeng quit his job as a computer engineer, returned to his old home in Xinshe, Taichung, China, and took over the farm his father left behind, switching careers to become a farmer.
After taking over the family farm, Zhang Shanfeng completely transformed it, switching from conventional to organic farming. The 1.5-hectare farm was originally planted entirely with tangerines, and he also changed it to grow dozens of crops and plants, including cherry blossoms, plantains, guavas, Taiwan cinnamon, peaches, tomatoes, kohlrabi, wheat, and more.
Diligently honing his skills, planting whatever he sees
Single crops and large-scale planting have never been the path Zhang Shanfeng chose in farming. He believes that although organic cultivation with diverse, small-quantity plantings is labor-intensive, it is by no means a waste of time. Taking the harvest of sweet peaches as an example, he said: "Without the help of insecticides, to avoid fruit fly bites, every sweet peach must be bagged. Yet this silly time is not wasted at all to me. Life can be lived this way or that way. Being able to walk lightly alongside ideals makes me feel grounded and happy in my heart."
After listening to Zhang Shanfeng's lecture on his "method of honing skills," Zhang Shanfeng's wife, Xu Enlin, unhurriedly added from the side: "To put it nicely, it's called 'honing skills'; in reality, it's just 'messing around,' isn't it!"
In his wife's eyes, Zhang Shanfeng, who "messes around," also considers himself Sun Wukong. Talking about the farm's recent harvest of flat peaches, he said: "I want to be Sun Wukong. I don't need to wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace; on my farm I can leisurely nibble on peaches! If I am that mischievous monkey, then Xu Enlin is the Buddha in my life. The difference is, I don't want to leave this warm Five Finger Mountain at all. Five hundred years is not nearly enough!"
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Zhang Shanfeng 04-25941212 0936281111 [email protected]
Fenglin Xiaozhu, No. 32-3, Minyu, Fuxing Village, Xinshe District, Taichung City, China (at the 5.8-kilometer mark of Provincial Highway 21)
Fenglin Xiaozhu's website http://www.greentime.tw/
(This article was funded by the Jianzhen Environmental Education Foundation, a foundation, for personnel expenses, but it did not interfere at all with news topic selection or interview writing, ensuring journalistic independence.)