Family farm supports a Luzhou couple's dream of returning home to start a business and get rich

On July 24, picking glistening grapes in the "Jinlong Vineyard," farm owners Zhao Maolin and Yin Fengqin, a couple from Jinlong Town, Longmatan District, Luzhou City, Sichuan Province, were full of anticipation. After several years of hard work, the couple, who returned home to start a business, have finally carved out a business world of their own in a provincial-level impoverished village, with an annual output value of more than 300,000 yuan.

Returning home to start a business: from factory manager to "vineyard manager"

Zhao Maolin and Yin Fengqin are from Caoba Village, Jinlong Town. As early as the 1980s, carrying their dream of getting rich, 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, through hard struggle, the couple finally opened a garment factory of their own. Yin Fengqin became the factory manager, carefully running the business with one hand, and their life was thriving.

"We often saw tourists going to vineyards to pick grapes, and the price was not cheap, so we tried to learn about it." Yin Fengqin told this writer that during a trip to Zhejiang, she found there were many vineyards, and customers were especially fond of picking, so she later came up with the idea of returning home to grow grapes, "after all, the elderly at home are getting old, and the children need care too."

In July 2011, Zhao Maolin and Yin Fengqin returned to their hometown -- Caoba Village, a provincial-level impoverished village. Under the guidance of a relative who grew grapes, they invested more than 1 million yuan, rented more than 50 mu of land, carried out soil improvement, built sheds and other work, introduced relatively advanced domestic grape varieties such as Shine Muscat, Wink, and Lady's Finger from Zhejiang, Jiangsu and other places, and built the "Jinlong Vineyard," gaining their own "family farm."

Seeking knowledge everywhere: becoming experts at growing grapes

In the transition from an enterprise to a family farm, Zhao Maolin and Yin Fengqin endured all kinds of hardship in terms of technology, yet everything is bitter first and sweet later.

"Pruning, irrigation, fertilizing, topping -- none of these steps can be neglected, otherwise it will affect the growth and yield of the grapes. Many of the grape growers around me have failed." Talking about the experience of growing grapes, Zhao Maolin spoke with great familiarity.

"I still remember a variety called 'Momotaro' a few years ago. At that time, we irrigated as soon as it bloomed, which resulted in very poor fruiting later." According to Yin Fengqin, there was also a variety called Shine Muscat. When it ripened that year, the fruit was very small. Only after repeated practice did they discover that the watering time was wrong. At first, although a relative guided them on technique, it was still the biggest obstacle to their cultivation.

To this end, while buying books and learning online, the couple also paid out of their own pockets to travel to Zhejiang, Shanghai, Yunnan and other places to learn from masters. Whenever there was something they did not understand, they would find a way to master it through "constant dripping wears away a stone."

"Don't underestimate these weeds under the grapes; they are the treasures of cultivation." In the vineyard, Zhao Maolin introduced this to this writer. Over the past few years, they have integrated theory with practice and used an imitation-original-ecology cultivation method, which has worked very well. According to the introduction, this cultivation method actually lets grass and grapes grow together, and only cuts the weeds once the grapes are ripe. The weeds can not only keep moisture for the growth of the grapes, increase oxygen, and avoid sunburn, but after cutting they can also be converted on the spot into organic fertilizer, playing a role in soil improvement.

After several years of practice, the couple are now confident in every step, from seed selection, cultivation, management to picking, and have become locally somewhat well-known cultivation experts. At present, all of the more than 20 mu of the vineyard are bearing fruit, with an annual output value of more than 300,000 yuan, and it has driven more than 10 local people to employment.

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

"The grapes here taste good and the size is not bad either. This is my second visit." Picking grapes with her child, customer You Min from Hejiang County told this writer. According to Zhao Maolin's recollection, after the Jinlong government strongly supported the hardening of the road from the town to the vineyard, on a weekend in August last year, the vineyard once saw a booming picking scene, "more than 100 customers came in one day, and there was almost no room to park the cars."

"The picking period lasts from June all the way to December, and the farm has also shown three major features, which was also our original intention." According to Yin Fengqin, at present the vineyard has achieved the three major features of "new," "novel," and "special": "new" means new varieties; "novel" means the largest grapes are as big as eggs and the smallest are as small as peas, with a long time difference between early and late ripening; "special" means there is a giant in the vineyard, and a single bunch can grow to about one meter long and weigh more than 20 jin.

"Now I pay attention to the weather forecast every day. Once the wind rises and it rains, I can't sleep, always afraid the vineyard will be flooded." While tasting the sweetness of cultivation, Yin Fengqin also spoke of her difficulties. Although their technique is up to standard, because there is no professional and robust drainage system, the vineyard is still in a state of "depending on the weather for food." In July last year, the vineyard suffered the largest flood ever, and more than 10 mu of grapes were flooded, causing the fruit to crack and resulting in a loss of nearly 100,000 yuan. However, the couple overcame all these difficulties along the way.

Talking about future plans, Zhao Maolin hopes that while running the vineyard well, he will continue to expand the scale and add infrastructure such as a farmhouse restaurant and fishing, upgrading the family farm into a rural leisure base integrating sightseeing, picking, fishing and more.