A grape cluster sparks a dream of prosperity: he left business for farming and put down roots in the orchard

Zhao Maolin (left) and Yin Fengqin (right) picking grapes

"The milk-scented and rose-scented varieties will be ready to pick in a few days, and after that, Black Rosario, Wink, Oriental Star, Nanyu and other grapes will ripen one after another..." Recently, at the "Jinlong Vineyard" in Jinlong Town, Luzhou City, Sichuan Province, farm owners Zhao Maolin and Yin Fengqin, a married couple, picked glistening grapes while speaking with anticipation. After several years of arduous struggle, these returning entrepreneurs have finally carved out a world of their own in a provincial-level poverty-stricken village in Sichuan Province. More than 20 mu of the vineyard is fully bearing fruit, with an annual output value of more than 300,000 yuan, and it has created jobs for more than 10 local people.

Returning home to start a business: no longer a factory manager, but an "orchard manager"

Zhao Maolin and Yin Fengqin are from Caoba Village, Sichuan. In the 1980s, carrying their dream of prosperity, they left their hometown and went south to Shenzhen to work, never expecting that this trip would last more than 20 years. During their time in Shenzhen, after arduous struggle, the couple finally opened a garment factory of their own. Yin Fengqin became the factory manager, tending the business carefully, and their life was thriving.

"During a trip to Zhejiang, I found that there were many vineyards, and tourists were especially fond of picking grapes. Later I had the idea of going back home to plant grapes. Besides, the elderly at home are getting old, and the children need care too," Yin Fengqin said.

In July 2011, Zhao Maolin and Yin Fengqin returned to their hometown. Under the guidance of relatives, they invested more than 1 million yuan, rented more than 50 mu of land, carried out soil improvement, built sheds and did other work, introduced relatively advanced domestic grape varieties such as Shine Muscat, Wink and Beauty's Finger from Zhejiang, Jiangsu and other places, and established the "Jinlong Vineyard," acquiring their own "family farm."

Seeking knowledge everywhere: becoming experts at growing grapes

In the transition from running an enterprise to operating a family farm, Zhao Maolin and Yin Fengqin suffered greatly over technical matters, yet everything is bitter first and sweet later.

"I still remember a variety called 'Momotaro' a few years ago. At that time, we irrigated as soon as it bloomed, which later led to very poor fruit set. There was also a variety called Shine Muscat. When it ripened that year, the fruit was very small. Only after repeated practice did we discover that the watering time was wrong," Yin Fengqin explained.

When talking about their grape-growing experience, Zhao Maolin can recount it all in detail. While learning from books and online, the couple also paid their own way to Zhejiang, Shanghai, Yunnan and other places to seek masters and learn skills. Whenever there was something they did not understand, they would find a way to achieve "constant dripping wears away a stone."

Over the past few years, they have combined theory with practice and used an imitation-original-ecology planting method, which has produced very good results. According to the introduction, this planting method lets grass and grapes grow together, and once the grapes ripen, the weeds are cut down. The weeds not only help preserve moisture for grape growth, increase oxygen and prevent sunburn, but also improve the soil.

"Don't underestimate these weeds under the grapes. They are all fertilizer for grape growth," Zhao Maolin said in the vineyard.

Today, the couple are highly skilled in variety selection, cultivation, management, harvesting and other aspects, and have become locally somewhat famous planting experts.

Showcasing distinctive features: the "family farm" supports a dream of prosperity

"The grapes here taste good and the size is good too. This is my second time here," said customer You Min.

According to Zhao Maolin's recollection, after the Jinlong Town government strongly supported the repair of the road from the town to the vineyard, the grape-picking orchard saw a booming picking scene. More than 100 customers came in a single day, and there was almost nowhere to park the cars.

"The picking period lasts from June all the way to December, and the farm has also shown three major features. This was also our original intention in building the vineyard," Yin Fengqin introduced.

At present, the vineyard has achieved the three major features of "new," "wondrous" and "special": "new" means new varieties; "wondrous" means the largest grapes are as big as eggs and the smallest are like peas, with a long gap between early and late ripening; "special" means there is a giant variety in the orchard, and a single cluster can grow to about 1 meter long and weigh more than 10 kilograms.

"Now I pay attention to the weather forecast every day. Once the wind rises and rain comes, I can't even sleep, always afraid the orchard will be flooded." While tasting the sweetness of planting, Yin Fengqin also spoke of her difficulties. Although their technique is up to standard, because there are no professional, robust drainage facilities, the vineyard is still in a state of "depending on heaven for food." In July last year, the vineyard suffered an extraordinarily severe flood, and more than 10 mu of grapes were submerged, causing the fruit to crack and resulting in a loss of nearly 100,000 yuan.

Talking about future plans, Zhao Maolin hopes that while running the vineyard well, he will continue to expand the scale and add supporting facilities such as a farmhouse restaurant and fishing, turning the family farm into an integrated rural leisure base combining sightseeing, picking and fishing.