Lazy-Tech Solutions Let Wu Xiaojian Run His Factory and Grow Grapes Without Missing a Beat

Wu Xiaojian checks on his orchard through a computer

Visitors happily picking fruit in the orchard

Wu Xiaojian adjusting a camera

Visitors buying and tasting grapes

"My materials-processing workshop in the village is more than 50 km from the vineyard, and I also serve as the village Party secretary. In the past I had to shuttle back and forth between the orchard and the village four or five times a day, which not only drained my energy and raised costs, but also made it impossible to do everything properly." Wu Xiaojian, owner of the Zhucun Grape Farm, told reporters that since installing a digital monitoring system this year, he can attend to business in the village with peace of mind. A glance at his phone shows him everything happening in the orchard, and he can give remote instructions based on actual conditions.

Wu Xiaojian is a resident of Sanfeng Village, Datian Township, and is a well-known skilled entrepreneur in the village. In 1995 he set up a materials-processing workshop in the village, making mechanical parts for nearby hardware enterprises. While providing work for more than 10 surplus laborers in the village, his own pockets gradually grew fuller. "I'm a farmer born and raised here, and I know deeply that developing agriculture is the foundation for farmers." Wu Xiaojian said he has a deep affection for agriculture. To that end, in 2012 he contracted 40 mu of land in Zhucun, Liucheng She Ethnic Township, more than 50 km from his hometown, and began growing grapes.

When choosing Zhucun to build his vineyard, he considered many factors. The southern mountainous area has unique geographical advantages: large day-night temperature differences, a good environment and excellent water quality, making it very suitable for grape growing. Moreover, tourism development in Nandu was in full swing, offering tremendous advantages for grape sales and brand building. These advantages were fully demonstrated later. The grapes from his farm have high sugar content and a uniquely fine taste, and were favored by a wide range of customers as soon as they hit the market.

To improve quality, he specially hired a teacher from Jinhua with many years of grape-growing experience as a consultant, who provides guidance and management for the vineyard year-round. Strictly following organic food requirements, he adopted techniques such as rain sheltering, insect trapping and sun protection, used sheep manure as base fertilizer, and introduced Niutoushan spring water for irrigation, creating a good environment for grape growth.

However, over the years, as the grape business became increasingly profitable, the contradiction of being unable to be in two places at once while running operations in both locations became increasingly prominent. "Agriculture requires large investment and yields slow returns. Without the support of the materials-processing factory running normally, much of the infrastructure in the vineyard would be hard to implement. And when it's time to prune, thin flower clusters or fertilize in the orchard, I have to give instructions and the hired workers then carry them out. Without being on site, I can't make decisions." Wu Xiaojian said both sides need him, and as a village official, village affairs are undoubtedly his top priority. So during busy periods, vineyard management fell behind somewhat.

To make management easier, this year he came up with the "lazy man's solution" of installing cameras. "I installed 11 cameras in total, high-definition ones, and including the network connection fees, it cost 15,000 yuan in total." With the help of these "magic eyes," Wu Xiaojian can take out his phone at home and check how the grapes are growing; after thunder and lightning, whether there has been any damage in the vineyard can be seen clearly with a tap of his finger. "Especially the grapes right in front of the cameras, you can see even the veins of the leaves clearly, so any problem is obvious at a glance." Now Wu Xiaojian only needs to visit the vineyard once a week, which not only saves time but also lowers management costs, making it much easier for him to run his businesses in both materials processing and grape growing.

Today, walking into Wu Xiaojian's vineyard gives people a refreshing feeling. With the support of steel-frame greenhouses, the vines of every grape plant are trained in an orderly yet naturally growing way. Grape varieties such as Summer Black, Xiangyu and Crimson Seedless seem to have grown from a mold, with each cluster weighing about 1 kg and uniform in size. The vineyard is also specially equipped with a sugar-content tester, allowing visitors to test the grapes' sugar content on the spot, so they can pick with confidence.