Zhou Liru's Devoted Life with Kiwifruit
In the Yunlong Demonstration Zone of Zhuzhou City, Hunan, there is a beautiful and fresh administrative village with convenient transportation - Jiaotong Village. The mountains here are not high, but they are lush with trees and alive with birdsong and flowers. The waters here are not deep, but they shimmer with ripples, where fish leap and frogs croak. Recently, a new sight has been added here - above the tall gatehouse, the plaque reading "Panlong Kiwifruit Ecological Garden" is very prominent. Walking into the garden and looking around, the terraced hillsides are verdant, row upon row of kiwifruit vines flourish with lush foliage, and clusters of fresh fruit nestle among the branches and leaves, truly adorable. This 40-mu kiwifruit ecological garden has already taken shape, attracting pairs of delighted eyes.
Leaving the ecological garden, in the Panlong High-Tech Park adjacent to the cement road, the Panlong Kiwifruit Wine Brewing Co., Ltd. is filled with rich aroma and joy. In the shiny, clean storage towers, a batch of new wine has been successfully brewed, all indicators meeting standards, just waiting to flow into bottles and onto the market. In only two years, the kiwifruit trees in the ecological garden have borne fruit, and the fine wine from the winery has spread its fragrance - this is undoubtedly a miracle. Zhou Liru and his son Zhou Jiaqing are the miracle makers. It is they who nurture the kiwifruit with their blood and sweat, brewing the "Kiwifruit Love" brand fruit wine, and the intense aroma of the wine leads you into their world.
A Special Affection for Kiwifruit
A chance encounter. One day in 2004, Zhou Liru went for a walk at the Central South Forestry University not far from his home. In the university's teaching base - a planting garden lush with flowers and trees - he saw dozens of kiwifruit trees growing vigorously and could not help but admire them with great interest. Already in his sixties, he was quite enthusiastic about new things. He had learned online that kiwifruit has high nutritional value and enjoys the reputation of the "king of fruits." Just then, Professor Zhao Sidong from the university happened to come to the planting garden. Disregarding unfamiliarity, Zhou Liru asked him questions with great interest. Professor Zhao spoke highly of kiwifruit, and at the same time was moved by how much Zhou Liru loved kiwifruit, and was genuinely willing to help this unofficial student. He explained that kiwifruit is also called tengli (vine pear). It was recorded and described as early as in the Book of Songs. By the Tang Dynasty, kiwifruit had become something celebrated in poetry. The famous poet Cen Shen wrote, "On the well railing in the courtyard, a trellis of kiwifruit," showing that more than a thousand years ago people were already planting kiwifruit in their courtyards as an ornamental plant. Its use as medicine also dates back very early; Song Dynasty pharmacologists believed that this juicy and delicious wild fruit had the functions of quenching thirst, relieving restlessness, and clearing heat. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty wrote in the Compendium of Materia Medica: "Its shape is like a pear, its color is like a peach, and macaques like to eat it, hence the name." Kiwifruit not only has delicious fruit; kiwifruit is rich in VC, VE, SOD, as well as 17 kinds of amino acids and minerals essential to the human body, and has long enjoyed such reputations as "king of fruits," "fruit of longevity," and "miracle worker of medicine." The roots, stems, and leaves of this vine pear, hailed worldwide as the "king of fruits," have been proven by modern medicine to have anti-cancer and cancer-preventing effects. Professor Zhao also enthusiastically introduced the habits of kiwifruit, planting techniques, and matters needing attention. This rare encounter, this vivid lesson, made Zhou Liru feel as if he had obtained a treasure. From then on, kiwifruit took root in his heart.
Kiwifruit is a deciduous tree, suitable for growing in mountainous areas. Zhou Liru and his son leased over 2,000 mu of mountainous land in Shizhuang Village, Yaojiaba Township of this city, and obtained a 50-year land and forest rights certificate. Zhou Liru was optimistic about this sandy mountainous land and envisioned developing it into a kiwifruit planting base, while also using kiwifruit to brew nutritious, delicious, and aromatic fruit wine. His son Zhou Jiaqing is a young man with the courage to forge ahead and break new ground, and he fully agreed with his father's opinion. So Zhou Liru began the arduous road-building project in the village. He both directed and did the work himself. Through his day-and-night toil, he finally built a 5.7-kilometer cement road connecting the mountainous area, and also built a transformer substation. This Shizhuang Road also made travel more convenient for some villagers of Shizhuang Village. To build this road, the Zhou father and son never collected a single cent from the benefiting villagers, nor requisitioned any labor. This matter became a much-told tale locally. A local villager, hearing that Zhou Liru intended to brew wine and knowing his character, specially introduced a cousin of his to Zhou Liru. His cousin was Master Dai, who had brewed fruit wine locally for many years and accumulated rich winemaking skills. When Zhou Liru first met the master, the two talked happily. Master Dai readily agreed to take him as an apprentice, pass on his lifetime skills to him, and charge no fee at all. Zhou Liru was overjoyed and captivated; the great matter he had dreamed of all his life had begun.
In 2011, Master Dai provided guidance on the site selection, planning, factory construction, equipment purchase, and installation for the winery, and the master and apprentice discussed everything together. During the brewing process, Master Dai gave his all in teaching his skills. Zhou Liru listened carefully and digested it all in detail. Zhou Liru's education level was not high, but his understanding was strong; he was not good at writing but had a good memory. He quickly grasped the basic craft of brewing fruit wine. Master Dai greatly appreciated this modest and eager-to-learn apprentice, and Zhou Liru also secretly resolved: he could not let the master's efforts go to waste; Zhuzhou people could also brew fine wine, and he would let their kiwifruit wine go to the world.
Using Sweat and Blood to Produce Abundant Fruit
With Professor Zhao's careful guidance and Master Dai's meticulous teaching, Zhou Liru's mind broadened. He was determined to undertake a cause he had never experienced and blaze a trail he had never set foot on. He wanted to start kiwifruit planting and fruit wine brewing simultaneously, forming a supporting project to ensure both raw materials and production were in place. He discussed it with his son, and his son expressed agreement and full support for what his father had decided. When the two discussed the scale, they believed that starting kiwifruit planting on 2,000 mu of land at present was premature; they could first trial-plant on a smaller scale while brewing wine, and then expand production on the 2,000 mu of mountainous land.
The Yunlong Demonstration Zone, then under vigorous construction, had become a new highlight of Zhuzhou's economic development. Jiaotong Village in this zone was attracting investment with preferential conditions. Zhou Liru, whose ancestral home was in Yunlong District, hit it off with the village officials immediately and decided to develop kiwifruit planting and fruit wine brewing here.
Acting as soon as he decides is Zhou Liru's nature and also his style of doing things. He chose a 40-mu plot of mountainous land surrounded by hills on all sides with a low-lying center. According to the needs of kiwifruit planting, he excavated the surrounding hills into terraces, then according to the growth characteristics of kiwifruit, dug loose soil layers and drainage ditches, and installed plastic watering pipes at every row of planting points. Kiwifruit has high nutritional value and is naturally delicate; its mother soil must be both moist and maintain good aeration and freshness. Once the land was prepared and the basic conditions were ready, Zhou Liru bought back 2,000 kiwifruit saplings. Like tending newborn babies, he carefully planted each sapling in the soil, examining them closely to see whether they were planted securely, and after walking a few steps he would still turn back to look at these newly settled little lives.
From then on, Zhou Liru's heart was tied to this garden, and he came to patrol it every day. He watered the saplings, fertilized them, and pulled weeds, watching the little saplings joint and grow taller. The water and fertilizer supply for kiwifruit could not be neglected in the slightest. Next door to the brewing company was an edible fungus factory. Zhou Liru pondered that the fungus bags left after producing edible fungi could be first-rate organic fertilizer, and it was indeed confirmed to be so. Zhou Liru was truly overjoyed. Holding the fungus bags in his hands, he repeatedly exclaimed, "What a good thing! What good fertilizer!" So he carried all the fungus bags, which previously had been considered too troublesome even to discard, up the hill, and they became treasures.
Water is the life of saplings. With Zhou Liru's meticulous care, especially ensuring the water supply, since 2011 the kiwifruit saplings had grown very well, their sturdy vines climbing upward, their emerald leaves glowing with an alluring luster. Crossing through winter, on a bright sunny spring day in March 2012, Zhou Liru climbed the hill in the warm spring breeze. He approached one sapling and suddenly his eyes lit up, and a wave of ecstasy surged in his heart. Among the emerald branches and leaves, a cluster of small white-yellow flowers had bloomed, delicate and full. This meant that diligent cultivation would bear abundant fruit. Zhou Liru gazed at the flowers for a long time, unwilling to leave. From then on, Zhou Liru was even more careful, determined to be a good guardian of the flowers.
In June 2012, Zhou Liru was busy in the ecological garden. To prevent soil and water loss in the tree ditches, he inspected them plot by plot and tree by tree. He walked down layer by layer, and feeling somewhat tired, when stepping down a slope, he suddenly stumbled and missed his footing, and fell. Zhou Liru felt unbearable pain in his left arm - oh no, the bone in his lower left arm was broken. He went to the hospital where his son-in-law worked and received bone-setting and bandaging; the doctor told him to rest for a month. Zhou Liru could not bear to leave the vigorously growing kiwifruit trees in the ecological garden, and the trees could not do without him either. With his injured left arm suspended from his neck, using only his right hand, he still worked as tenaciously as ever. After his injury, he actually never rested for a single day; all the work that needed to be done was completed, ensuring the normal growth of the trees.
It was already the height of summer in 2013, and a drought that occurs once in 50 years struck. The scorching sun was like a fireball, threatening to evaporate all moisture in the world. The small river stopped flowing, and the pond was pumped dry. Zhou Liru, under the fire-like sun, carefully inspected the hilltop. He saw the vines had become dry and astringent, the leaves had withered and curled, and the flowers had shriveled, and his heart could not help but ache again and again. At this time he made up his mind: he must overcome the drought and use his blood and sweat to water the kiwifruit.
The hill pond was dry and there was no water to pump, so he brought in tap water to irrigate the land. Watering during the day made evaporation easy, so he resolved to water in the second half of the night. Every day at 2 a.m., Zhou Liru and his wife got up. They drove a tricycle toward the ecological garden three kilometers from home, with a large water tank placed securely on the vehicle. After driving to the hillside, Zhou Liru and his wife scooped water with buckets and ladles, watering each kiwifruit tree one by one, as if carefully nurturing a group of little lives crying to be fed. They always worked from 2 a.m. until 8 a.m., a full 6 hours of ceaseless bustling, their whole bodies soaked through with sweat. Looking at the trees stretching out after watering, Zhou Liru held firmly to his unwavering goal: he must make the trees bear abundant fruit.
Once again the spring breeze blew, and the kiwifruit ecological garden became even greener, full of vitality. The kiwifruit vines stretched out playfully, competing to climb onto the trellis. What was even more intoxicating was that little kiwifruits appeared one by one among the branches and leaves, presenting a scene of a bountiful harvest in sight; the mellow "Kiwifruit Love" fruit wine would have its own raw materials. Zhou Liru and his son Zhou Jiaqing smiled happily.
In 2013, Zhuzhou Kiwifruit Wine Brewing Co., Ltd. was established. The ecological garden was there, the kiwifruit had borne fruit, and the brewing factory and equipment had been successively improved. The trademark "Kiwifruit Love" was registered. The company is dedicated to the scientific research, cultivation, domestication, and planting of high-quality kiwifruit seedlings, as well as the research and development, production, and sales of deeply processed kiwifruit products. They uphold the business policy of "based on biotechnology, developing ecological agriculture, and enhancing quality of life," take "cultural leadership" and "health and nutrition" as the strategic forerunners of their products, and through continuous product research and development and market research, have launched the noble finest among today's Chinese fruit wine family - "Kiwifruit Love" kiwifruit wine. This is a combination of traditional brewing and modern bioscience and technology. Exquisite craftsmanship and advanced production equipment have created the outstanding quality of "Kiwifruit Love" kiwifruit wine, inherited the noble bloodline of more than 2,000-year-old "Western Han fine wine," laid the foundation for its positioning as a high-end product, with quality and nutritional elements several times higher than grape wine, and endowed it with the sacred mission of "brewing China's first-class fruit wine!"
Facing this sacred mission, Zhou Liru did not slacken in the slightest. He painted the leased factory building as good as new. In the workshop, huge brewing vats stood in neat formation; towering storage towers were smooth and silver-bright; stainless steel transport pipes shone dazzlingly; the bottling assembly line stretched out smoothly and fluently... All of this was very standardized and complete. Yet Zhou Liru was always finding shortcomings in himself. He said that to serve the public's health, we must brew the best kiwifruit wine, with the most complete production equipment and the most satisfactory brewing process. That was what he thought, what he said, and even more so what he did. To ensure the quality and hygiene of the brewing, he believed containers were very important, and for this they traveled to several provinces and bought back the best wine vats.
Zhou Liru and his son Zhou Jiaqing adhered to one belief and set one tone: to make their beautiful dream come true, they must proactively, every minute and every second, go all out to brew the best fruit wine and create a first-class brand. The company's systems for job responsibility, product quality, incoming goods inspection, and safe production were sound and strict. He integrated being a good person, dedication to work, and brewing wine into one, fully embodying the enterprise's sense of social responsibility. His son Zhou Jiaqing supported his father's cause in many ways. He tried his utmost to raise funds for the brewing company and purchase equipment and raw materials; he traveled dusty and weary to handle the necessary relevant procedures. However, the greatest support the son gave his father was nothing other than spiritual support. When the father and son were tired and weary, they smiled at each other, and their whole bodies were filled with strength again.
That was in October 2013, when the company brought in a batch of kiwifruit from Shanxi. This batch of kiwifruit was relatively ripe; if not processed and brewed in time, it would be wasted. Zhou Liru immediately organized a team to quickly process the raw materials. He stayed at the company day and night, working under bright lights at night. Only after he saw the last fruit washed, dried, and put into the juicer did he feel relieved. At this time a colleague told him, "Boss Zhou, you've been working here for three days and three nights." Zhou Liru blinked his bloodshot eyes and said, "Really, I really still don't feel sleepy."
The equipment in the workshop was brand new and orderly, clean and standardized. This was made possible today by Zhou Liru under the master's guidance combined with his own innovations. When Master Dai came here, he walked slowly and looked carefully, sometimes gently touching things, and a rare smile blossomed on his face. After looking, he said to Zhou Liru with deep feeling: "I never imagined you would improve the equipment and process so well, even better than I imagined." He was satisfied with his choice of successor - truly, the pupil surpasses the master! He raised a glass of golden, clear and transparent, richly fruity and fragrant "Kiwifruit Love" wine and commented: "This wine is mellow and smooth, with rich fruit aroma, a unique flavor, and rich nutrition - truly a superior fine wine."
Bottle after bottle of crystal-clear "Kiwifruit Love" brand fruit wine left the factory, and after inspection all indicators met standards. Zhou Liru and his son were not intoxicated by success; they were pondering and planning an even more brilliant tomorrow. Tomorrow, the more than 2,000 mu ecological garden in Yaojiaba Township will be a paradise for kiwifruit growth, and the fragrance of "Kiwifruit Love" brand fruit wine will become even richer, drifting in all directions.