Liu Chunlong Harvests Tempting Wealth in Dangerous Greenhouses

These greenhouses look perfectly ordinary, yet you need a gas mask to go inside. One moment of carelessness brings a painful lesson. Fever, gas masks, a smoky substance filling the air - what is growing inside these greenhouses? Because of a leg disability, Liu Chunlong's family believed his only way to support himself was through education. His younger brother went out to work to support his schooling, but Liu Chunlong gave up his undergraduate studies. Relying on this dangerous thing inside the greenhouses, three years later his annual sales exceeded 10 million yuan, and he bought his younger brother a car and a house.

In Yutai County, Jining City, Shandong Province, these greenhouses appear to be nothing special, but to enter them, everyone present acts as if facing a major threat. Liu Chunlong is handing out gas masks to those preparing to enter the greenhouses.

Liu Chunlong: Before entering the greenhouse you must put this on, otherwise it won't do. I'm not giving you this one, this is mine, don't ask about that, come on, everyone take one. When you take it off, whatever you do, don't take it off. No, you can't let air in, letting air in is very dangerous.

Reporter: I see you are very meticulous.

Liu Chunlong: Right, because of this thing, I've suffered this kind of loss before.

These seemingly ordinary greenhouses - what exactly is so frightening about them? Perhaps only those who have suffered from this can truly understand how terrifying they are.

Picking worker: Doing this work, by the afternoon you feel awful, headaches. Did you wear a mask at the time? Not at the time, she forgot, didn't wear one.

Going into these greenhouses to work without a gas mask, in serious cases you get a fever and cough all night long. To attract workers to come in and work, Liu Chunlong raised the pay from 50 yuan a day to 80 yuan. But even so, some people were still frightened off by what was inside the greenhouses.

Picking worker: Going in there is toxic and harmful, the money you earn isn't even enough to see a doctor. I'm not going.

Liu Chunlong: I've already raised your pay. Normally it's only 50 yuan, now I'm adding 30 yuan, plus there's a gas mask, it's fine. I'm not going, even with more money I don't want to go.

After all the trouble of recruiting a dozen or so workers, just as they reached the greenhouse entrance, three of them got cold feet. When the greenhouse vents were opened, a smoky substance drifted out. What exactly was inside the greenhouse? After the workers put on gas masks and entered, what they saw was actually a kind of mushroom. From the outside, this mushroom was not much different from ordinary mushrooms, but the entire greenhouse was filled with thick smoke and dust. The workers began picking mushrooms, when suddenly one worker felt suffocated and wanted to take off her gas mask. Liu Chunlong's heart immediately leaped into his throat.

Reporter: What was she trying to do just now?

Liu Chunlong: She was trying to take off her mask just now. I saw she was feeling suffocated. You go outside first, staying in here is too dangerous. Right, you go out first, get some fresh air, come back after you've breathed. Take off the mask after you get outside, take it off outside.

Liu Chunlong: I've experienced this kind of symptom before too - you end up squatting halfway down clutching your legs, the shaking makes your insides hurt, you cough while holding your insides, you have to do this, it's very uncomfortable.

However, Liu Chunlong never expected that just because he had loosened his gas mask for a few minutes while being interviewed inside the greenhouse, after going home that evening, he started showing symptoms. Hearing this news, our reporter hurried over to check on him.

Liu Chunlong: My head hurts terribly, I'm coughing. When I was walking in the office and wanted to rest a bit, I felt colder and colder. I don't know what's going on, maybe when I was talking I lifted the gas mask slightly.

Reporter: So how do you feel now?

Liu Chunlong: The world is spinning, I'm still dizzy now.

Reporter: Have you taken any medicine?

Liu Chunlong: I took medicine at home before coming.

Fever, gas masks - what is growing in Liu Chunlong's greenhouses? Since childhood, because of his leg disability, everyone thought Liu Chunlong could only support himself through education. Unexpectedly, he hid it from his family and gave up his undergraduate studies. Relying on this dangerous thing inside the greenhouses, starting with 10,000 yuan he borrowed, three years later his annual sales exceeded 10 million yuan.

Liu Chunlong is 27 years old this year. Because he contracted polio at age 3, walking is not very convenient for him. In primary school, other classmates could take part in all kinds of sports, while Liu Chunlong could only watch from afar. Liu Chunlong was very unwilling to accept this. He swore he must change himself and become strong.

Liu Chunlong: A true strong person is someone who realizes they can change through their own efforts. For example, my legs are not good, but my upper body is healthy, so I thought I could exercise. At that time I basically exercised every day, just training my upper body, just training these muscles, finding confidence in myself physically.

Starting from middle school, Liu Chunlong became obsessed with the horizontal bar and parallel bars, determined to make his upper body better than others, and finally built muscles that made others envious. But no matter how strong and muscular Liu Chunlong's upper body became, his legs still could not bear too much force. Falls like this became routine for Liu Chunlong.

Liu Chunlong: Are you okay? I'm fine.

Because walking was inconvenient with his leg, Liu Chunlong felt very self-conscious. For a long time, his favorite thing was staying at home. Liu Chunlong's parents began to worry about their son, feeling that in the future Liu Chunlong might not even be able to find a wife, or even support himself. Finally, they came up with a plan, believing that only education offered Liu Chunlong a way out.

Mother Qiu Airong: Even if I have to beg for food, I will support you through school. If he doesn't go to school I won't accept it. I just felt his leg was a bit disabled, and I had to think about him having a way out in the future, being able to get a good education, being able to live on his own, being able to do well on his own, so the whole family could feel at ease. That's what we all thought.

Younger brother Liu Shangbin: If my brother doesn't go to school, it will be hard for him to find a job in the future, including getting married and so on, after all he has a physical disability.

In 2009, Liu Chunlong was admitted to Shandong Economic and Trade Vocational and Technical College. Liu Chunlong's parents are both farmers, with limited income. To support Liu Chunlong through university, the whole family gave everything they had, and even his younger brother and sister went out to work to earn money after finishing middle school.