Zhang Song and vegetables: every single plant is a promise
“Every single vegetable is a promise” - this ordinary promise from Zhang Song, founder of Guangdong Huizhou City Four Seasons Green Agricultural Products Co., Ltd., is backed by twenty years of integrity and perseverance. He upholds the philosophy that “every single vegetable is a promise”: anyone who finds a problem with his vegetables is rewarded with 10,000 yuan, yet in 20 years no one has ever claimed the reward. Over these 20 years, Zhang Song has been both a “vegetable farmer” and the operator of a farm. Through honesty and trustworthiness, he has not only won market sales and the trust of partners and banks, but also the praise of all sectors of society. In May 2016, Zhang Song was listed on the “China Good People List.”
1. Hardship tempers character: he would rather pay compensation than cross the bottom line
Zhang Song was born in a rural village in Jiexi, Guangdong. When asked when he started growing vegetables, his expression was at first a little somber, but in an instant he was smiling again, telling the story calmly. “At first I grew vegetables, naturally, because I was too poor as a child and needed to make a living. The year I turned 8, other children had reached school age, but I had no money, so I thought of growing vegetables to sell for money. But at the time the village would not allocate me land. After much difficulty I got a plot, but it was a vegetable plot with over a hundred funerary urns on it. There was no way around it - I still mustered my courage and started growing vegetables there.” Zhang Song said. “In my view, I have always firmly believed that human nature is fundamentally good, and I have always insisted on being an honest person who does his duty, and on growing vegetables without cheating people or rigging the scales.” For him, hardship tempers character.
From initially running a farmers' market, to later returning to the fields as a “vegetable farmer,” Zhang Song has always upheld food safety as the bottom line. To hold this bottom line, Zhang Song is extremely strict about growing vegetables. On February 26, 2010, a vegetable delivery truck from Four Seasons Green, loaded full of vegetables, drove from the Shaoguan planting base to Huizhou and Shenzhen for distribution. The daughter of old Zhang, a long-serving employee, with Zhang Song's consent, brought some luggage along on the truck back to Huizhou. Only halfway there did the driver learn that the luggage contained a box of pesticide. The driver broke into a cold sweat on the spot, because the company explicitly prohibits mixing pesticides with vegetables in the same load. When Zhang Song learned of the situation, he called the driver directly and told him to drive the truck back to the Shaoguan planting base, destroy the vegetables, and thoroughly disinfect the vehicle.
At the time, everyone who knew about the situation asked: “Is that really necessary?” Zhang Song believed that if these vegetables were not destroyed, he himself would be setting the example of disregarding the quality and safety control system. Afterward, Zhang Song called the heads of each supermarket one by one and patiently explained the reason. Yet not only did not a single supermarket hold him liable for breach of contract - many supermarket heads even praised him highly and increased their cooperation. Zhang Song upholds the philosophy that “every single vegetable is a promise,” and stipulates that anyone who finds that he has bought vegetables for repackaging under his brand, or tests his vegetables and finds pesticide residue exceeding the standard, will be rewarded with 10,000 yuan - yet in 20 years no one has ever claimed the reward.
2. One hundred percent no additives: every detail is a test of character
Almost obsessively persistent, shrewd yet never forgetting his duty - the impression Zhang Song gives is vivid and strong. As assistant to the company chairman, Wu Yihui has followed Zhang Song for more than ten years. Over these years, she has sincerely admired Zhang Song's adherence to principle, yet more than once she has said she could not understand his positions.
In the production of a certain kind of oil, according to national regulations, about 5% blended oil may be added - this has little effect on quality, yet can reduce the product cost by about 4%. However, Zhang Song insisted that it must be one hundred percent free of additives. It met regulations and could directly increase company profits, so why not do it? Wu Yihui could not figure it out and argued with Zhang Song for a long time. In the end Zhang Song lost his temper: “What we must do is one hundred percent no additives. If any of you adds anything, I will make that person resign.”?
In Zhang Song's own words, integrity is one's duty, not something done deliberately. “Any detail is a test of character.” Conducting business by this philosophy, his vegetable-growing business not only did not fail, but grew bigger and bigger. His conclusion is: “The greatest gain in business is that honest people never come out at a loss.”
Because of development needs, Zhang Song sometimes needs to take out bank loans. Over 20 years, the cumulative loan amount has reached over 100 million yuan, yet the bank has never had any record of default by him. “I am very grateful for the government's credit record system, which has let us dutiful people taste the benefits of honesty and trustworthiness.” Zhang Song said. For many years, Zhang Song has never once repaid a loan beyond the deadline. Because of his excellent credit record, the bank gives him a very high credit limit, with a collateral loan ratio even exceeding 1 to 1. “That is to say, if I mortgage 1 million, I can borrow 1.1 million, or even more. For a small agricultural enterprise, that is not at all easy.” he said somewhat proudly.
3. Keeping his promise: helping farmers with guaranteed loans and repayment, and many people helping each other through hard times
In September 2013, the super typhoon “Usagi” almost completely destroyed Zhang Song's 6 farms in Huizhou, with direct losses reaching over 100 million yuan. At the time, to provide disaster relief and restore production as quickly as possible, funds were extremely tight. Unfortunately, more than 12 million yuan in loans that Zhang Song had guaranteed for over 80 farming households were also about to mature - truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly. Zhang Song was unwilling to break faith with the farmers, saying: “If they cannot repay, I will definitely help them repay (the loans).” To honor his guarantee commitment, he put up a piece of his own real estate as collateral, and ultimately helped the farmers repay this guaranteed loan on schedule together, both fulfilling his promise and preserving his credit.
When his own farms had suffered losses he could not even make up for, why still help the farmers repay guaranteed loans? Zhang Song said: “Because these farmers trusted me as their leader, they followed me in growing vegetables back then. I have a responsibility toward them, to lead them out of poverty and toward prosperity. And as a guarantor, I even more cannot break faith with the bank and the vegetable farmers, or abandon them when they are in difficulty.”
What he did not expect was that a long-serving employee of more than ten years at the company took the initiative to come to Zhang Song and tell him he was willing to mortgage a loan of ten million to help the company through the crisis. This shocked Zhang Song deeply, and moved him greatly. He told this friend: “Although I need this money, the premise is that it cannot affect your and your family's normal life.” And so, with the help of company employees and friends, Zhang Song successfully weathered the economic crisis caused by the super typhoon.
It is precisely because Zhang Song holds firm to the principle of being an honest person that he has made many precious friends beyond the business world. He jokes that, through years of understanding each other and their trust in his character, he does not even need to write an IOU when borrowing money from friends.
“To make good products, first be a good person!” Zhang Song has taken this saying to heart and practices this principle at every moment. His actions have also inspired and driven the people around him to join the ranks of those who do their duty as honest people and conduct business with integrity. Gu Huaiji, Huizhou's first “China Good Person,” even composed a poem to congratulate Zhang Song on being elected a “China Good Person”: With sincere heart for the people, speaking of health, with real strength he founded a green farm. He keeps his promises in production and sales without public hazard, and his reputation spreads far and wide with his name.