Peaches 35 yuan per jin, the "Peach King" 88 yuan each - he dares to call them the second most delicious in the whole country

He publicly calls his peaches "China's second most delicious mountain peaches," with ordinary peaches selling for 35 yuan per jin and the highest-quality "Peach King" at 88 yuan each. He is Liu Yuanqiang, once a migrant worker far from home. In 2012, he returned to Aidong Village, took over 300 mu of neglected barren hills in the village, and began growing peaches using traditional methods. What made him successful?

Yes, this is that burly Shandong man who dares to publicly claim his peaches are "China's second most delicious mountain peaches" - Liu Yuanqiang. His peaches sell for 35 yuan per jin, and the highest-quality "Peach King" costs 88 yuan each.

Liu Yuanqiang's hometown is called Aidong Village, under the administration of Linyi City, Shandong Province. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and bordered by a river on one, giving it the look of a hidden paradise. It sits close to a national 5A-level scenic area - Mengshan National Forest Park - and Menglianggu, where the Battle of Menglianggu was once fought. Despite its history and scenery, Aidong Village remains beautiful yet impoverished. Of its more than 1,000 villagers, 90% of the young people choose to leave for work elsewhere, leaving behind only children and the elderly.

In the poor Aidong Village, most villagers are left-behind elderly people and children

Liu Yuanqiang was once a migrant worker far from home.

Because his family was poor, he went to the city to work after graduating from junior high school at 16. He traveled far and wide, spent 7 years in transportation, and also worked as a furniture agent. In 2012, Liu Yuanqiang returned to Aidong Village and took over 300 mu of neglected barren hills in the village. A year later, the barren hills once overrun with wild grass had become a peach orchard.

Although he also chose to grow peaches like most local farmers, Liu Yuanqiang, who had business experience, had a different idea: "I want to restore the original taste of the peaches I ate as a child." After studying and discussing with his father-in-law, who had grown peaches his whole life, he set strict technical standards for the orchard's growing model: "adopt the five-dimension theory of traditional cultivation" and "resolutely no pesticides and no chemical fertilizers"; he set a strict standard that only 31 peach trees be planted per mu of mountain land (similar peach orchards plant up to 200 per mu), ensuring tree spacing of more than 4*4 m...

"Peach's Own Peach," which restores the "original taste of peaches"

In 2015, Liu Yuanqiang's peach orchard officially bore fruit, not in large quantities, and it was mainly promoted through relatives and friends. But by then he had already confidently priced his peaches at 10 yuan each, unlike ordinary peaches that cost just a few yuan per jin. This year, the peaches began entering their ideal ripening period and were officially introduced to the market.

Liu Yuanqiang's "Peach's Own Peach," grown to have the "original taste of peaches" - why does he dare to sell it for 35 yuan per jin, with Peach King grade costing as much as 88 yuan each? How does this burly Shandong man think, and what did he do?

Below are some questions Tianyejun asked him:

Q&A

Q: Is there any difference between your peach trees and other peach trees?

A: Our peach saplings were grafted from "wild peach saplings" in deep mountains. They have not undergone genetic modification through modern technology, and the fruit they bear retains the original taste of mountain peaches. What is commonly planted now has all been improved.

Q: What does your so-called "five-dimension theory of traditional cultivation" refer to?

A: We use traditional cultivation, and there are five dimensions by which it can be measured.

First, in terms of geographical environment, we are in a natural oxygen chamber with a good environment. The negative ion content in the air of the Yimeng Mountain area ranks first in the country;

Second, limited spacing and limited fruit. We maintain an extra-large spacing between peach trees, and we insist on the practice of "one fruit per branch," strictly limiting fruit yield to enhance quality;

Third, soil acidity and alkalinity. Testing shows the orchard soil has a pH value of around 6.5, a slightly acidic environment, brown earth soil, relatively coarse texture, and thick fertile soil layers, suitable for the growth of acid-loving peach trees;

Fourth, the temperature difference between day and night in Mengshan is relatively large, so the fruit has high sweetness;

Finally, we cover the ground beneath the fruit trees with dry grass to provide nutrients for the peach trees. "Growing grass between rows" is also an ecological pest-control method. It provides a living environment for beneficial insects and microorganisms, forming an ecological chain of pest and disease resistance in the orchard.

"Peach's Own Peach" planting base

Q: Without applying pesticides, how exactly do you repel insects?

A: It is ecological natural pest elimination. Its own ecological chain remains balanced. The orchard is full of grass, and in the grass there are both beneficial insects and pests. Their numbers complement each other and form a natural ecological chain. This prevents pest outbreaks. Some of our peaches do get damaged by insects, but we do not bother with it. The damaged peaches fall directly under the trees and can then become nutrients for the peach trees.

Q: How did the claim of "China's second most delicious mountain peaches" come about?

A: Last year a customer said that after eating your peaches, he suddenly remembered the taste of the peaches his mother bought him when he was little. So, the best-tasting one is in memory, and ours is the second best-tasting.

Q: What special characteristics does the "Shuimi Prince" variety have, and how is it different from southern honey peaches?

A: Southern honey peaches have thin skin and delicate flesh, while northern ones have thick skin and large flesh grains. Our peaches are grown using traditional methods and retain the peach's own fruity fragrance, because if chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used, or preservatives, or the environmental soil is poor, the fruit has no fruity fragrance. This is the biggest difference between our peaches and other products.

Q: Has it brought any changes to your village?

A: Our story drew the attention of the county, and the village built a road connecting it to the outside; our fruit farmers are all impoverished households and left-behind elderly people from the village. Working in the orchard, they can earn more than 20,000 yuan a year, better than going out to work, and they can also take care of the left-behind children at home.