Gong Zaifu's Unusual 20-Year Duck Farming Journey in Huanren County, Liaoning
When people talk about duck farmers in Huanren, one name inevitably comes to mind: Gong Zaifu from Liuhe Village in Huanren Town. For more than 20 years, his story of perseverance in duck farming has moved many people. "You must persevere in whatever you do. Only through perseverance can you succeed." Looking back on his entrepreneurial journey, Gong Zaifu could not help but feel a flood of emotions.
In 1997, encouraged and guided by the government's policies to enrich the people, Gong Zaifu, a Party member from Liuhe Village, was among the first to buy 500 ducklings, resolutely embarking on his journey to wealth through entrepreneurship. As everyone knows, ducks are a gregarious poultry species with relatively high natural immunity, but once disease spreads among them, it can infect the entire flock in an extremely short time, causing severe economic losses. In the early days of his venture, lacking mature breeding experience and techniques, Gong Zaifu often found himself helpless when he saw his ducks fall ill. Sometimes he would stand observing the sick ducks for two or three hours at a stretch, unable to sleep through the night, his throat so inflamed that he could not speak for days.
Gong Zaifu clearly remembers one year on the third day of Chinese New Year, in order to get treatment for his sick ducks, he traveled alone to the Anshan area to consult a duck disease expert. Because all the restaurants were closed at that time, he stood by the roadside, hungry and anxious, and walked several li before he found a small shop still open. The kind-hearted shopkeeper made him a bowl of instant noodles, and only then did he manage to eat something.
After more than 100 days of raising them, the first batch of ducks finally began to lay eggs. To sell his duck eggs, Gong Zaifu pushed a handcart through the streets in the dead of winter, selling eggs door to door. To save a little money, he would not even buy himself a hot steamed bun. Sometimes, even if a restaurant only wanted 10 duck eggs, Gong Zaifu insisted on delivering them to the owner within the agreed time. "Honesty is the most important thing in business. People buy my duck eggs because they think highly of me, and I absolutely cannot betray their trust." Many times when faced with doubt and rejection, Gong Zaifu bore it silently and never argued with anyone. Over time, everyone was moved by his forbearance and strength, and gradually came to accept his duck eggs.
Later, in order not to affect the water quality around the duck farm, Gong Zaifu tried dryland duck farming, and drawing on years of duck farming experience learned from Anshan, Liaoyang and other places, he learned to mix duck feed himself and regulate the temperature inside the duck farm according to seasonal changes. This not only saved on feeding costs but also made the ducks stronger and stronger, and the egg-laying rate increased considerably. Gong Zaifu also developed a skill: he could collect all the duck eggs in the pen within ten minutes or so, and could judge the ducks' physical condition based on their egg-laying rate and eating habits, immediately isolating any that showed signs of illness.
In 2012, with the support and help of the Huanren Town Party Committee and government, Gong Zaifu successfully applied for and registered Fu Yan Duck Farm, and rented nearly 200 mu of wasteland around Huquan Village. Today, what started with just over 500 ducks has grown to more than 8,000, with daily egg production reaching over 1,000 jin and annual income of more than 300,000 yuan. He has become the county's famous "Duck Farming King." In addition to selling to major supermarkets, markets and shops within the county, his products are also sold to surrounding cities such as Benxi, Tonghua and Kuandian. Last year, in order to expand production, he built a new duck farm covering 20 mu and 4 pickling pools, introduced a salted duck egg production line, and began gift-boxed brand sales, striving to sell his products to even more distant markets.
"Next, I plan to plant some organic healthy crops on the surrounding wasteland, so that I can also get a little benefit from the large-scale farming industry!" Gong Zaifu said with a smile, pointing to a large stretch of newly purchased land before him.
Reporter's note: When Gong Zaifu began trying his hand at duck farming, duck farming techniques and experience in the Huanren area were still at a blank stage, and Gong Zaifu undoubtedly became the first person in the duck farming industry to "dare to eat the crab." In the course of his entrepreneurial journey, he experienced confusion and heartache, but never once retreated. When his business was going smoothly, he broadened his entrepreneurial thinking at the right time, and that is why he forged a path to success.