Li Guiming of Yuechi, Sichuan: The Watermelon King Who "Played" His Way to Success

In this season, "Watermelon King" Li Guiming is happy and content. A few days ago, a reporter came to his melon field for an interview. He said he no longer needs to worry about sales, and he sells an average of 150,000 jin of watermelons per day.

Li Guiming, 53 this year, is from Taizhou, Zhejiang. In 2005, he left his hometown and came to Yuechi County to grow watermelons. Over the past 11 years, he has made the fields his home and watermelon growing his trade, and has become a leader in Yuechi's watermelon growing industry.

An official from the county's Agriculture Bureau said that during his 11 years in Yuechi, Li Guiming has planted more than 5,000 mu of watermelons each year. The watermelon greenhouses have become his home and a beautiful scene in his life. Over these 11 years, he has focused on how to grow watermelons well, how to drive the development of Yuechi's greenhouse watermelon industry, and how to build up the distinctive features of Yuechi's watermelon industry. With these questions in mind, he has worked and practiced in the melon fields, dared to explore and innovate, kept learning and improving, and his growing techniques have become increasingly refined. Moreover, he also founded the Yuechi Guamanyuan Vegetable Professional Cooperative.

"The reason the fruit sales of a fellow villager from the neighboring village are not as good as mine is that he doesn't know how to 'play' like I do," Li Guiming said. "I use my phone for WeChat and go online. When the watermelons ripen, I take photos and upload them to my WeChat Moments. Many people see them and come to buy, and some even buy directly online. However, publicity alone is not enough; the quality must be good, otherwise customers won't stay."

The word "play" in Li Guiming's words reveals his secret to wealth.

Knowing how to "play" has made Li Guiming a winner in watermelon growing. This year, the cooperative's watermelon output is more than 30 million jin, with an output value of 45 million yuan.

Li Guiming told the reporter that besides knowing how to "play" with new media tools, more importantly, what he "plays" with is quality. The watermelons Li Guiming grows each year have thin rinds, sweet flesh and high water content. They are recognized by consumers, and he has many repeat customers.

What he "plays" with is innovation. To reduce growing costs and increase the survival rate, in 2007 Li Guiming began introducing mature watermelon seedling grafting technology to Yuechi, using pumpkin seedlings to graft watermelon seedlings, and successfully trial-planted grafted watermelon seedlings in Yuechi, helping melon farmers save 50% on seedling costs. Each year, watermelon seedlings alone save cooperative members 1.5 million yuan.

What he "plays" with is large-scale planting. Relying on grafted watermelon seedling technology, Li Guiming has led cooperative members to plant more than 10,000 mu of greenhouse watermelons each year, making watermelons a distinctive brand that helps ordinary people increase their income and become wealthy.

What he "plays" with is persistent dedication. Li Guiming left his hometown and for 11 years has been obsessed with watermelon growing, starting his business in the melon fields, working the melon fields, loving the melon fields and finding joy in the melon fields. Although he has experienced the heartbreak of snow, wind and ice disasters, the total loss brought by fierce storms, and the tearless despair brought by a sluggish market, he has persisted without giving up, without fear, holding on with dedication, and has walked all the way to today's full harvest and booming business.