A leader in getting rich despite disability

In Bama Village, Qiaogong Town, Chen Liangshan, now 58 years old, is a disabled person deeply respected and admired by local officials and residents. An accident in 1996 cost Chen Liangshan the thumb of his left hand, a deep scar in his life. However, he did not feel inferior because of his disability; instead, he possessed an extra measure of the spirit of self-reliance and tenacious struggle. Disabled in body but strong in will, he started his own business and, with his diligent hands, opened the door to prosperity, becoming the "leading goose" for local disabled people seeking to get rich.

"Because I am disabled and have no special skill, I have to put in more effort and sweat than ordinary people in everything I do, but I have never bowed my head in the face of difficulties." Chen Liangshan told this writer that due to poor family circumstances, he dropped out of school before finishing high school. At the age of 19, he went to work elsewhere, doing odd jobs, working as a truck driver, and also selling live pigs. Years of working away from home made Chen Liangshan realize that working for others was not a long-term solution. By chance, Chen Liangshan saw online that greenhouse vegetable cultivation was an emerging industry with a short production cycle and quick returns, a good path to prosperity, so he conceived the idea of returning home to start a business.

Acting on his decision, in 2010, despite his family's opposition, Chen Liangshan took out all his savings and borrowed from relatives and friends, investing more than 400,000 yuan to establish a 60-mu greenhouse vegetable planting base, mainly growing cucumbers, small pumpkins, zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli and other vegetables. At the beginning, lacking experience and skills, Chen Liangshan felt his way across the river like someone crossing by feeling the stones, learning while planting. He spent his days in the vegetable fields and his nights immersed in technical guidebooks. When he encountered problems, he called old vegetable farmers for advice, sometimes made a special trip to the district to consult agricultural experts, and actively participated in various related technical training sessions held by agricultural departments and the district disabled persons' federation. After more than a year of exploration, Chen Liangshan had basically mastered the cultivation techniques and management experience for various vegetables.

Hard work pays off. Under Chen Liangshan's painstaking management, his vegetable base gradually got on track. To improve work efficiency, Chen Liangshan used modern techniques such as integrated water and fertilizer systems, micro-sprinkler irrigation, and insect-attracting sticky traps at the base. At the same time, he applied farmyard manure and did not use pesticides, striving to build a green, pollution-free vegetable base. As a result, his vegetables were very popular with customers, and he had no worries about sales, selling long-term to major supermarkets in Laibin's urban area such as Zhongxing and Baijiahuan. Hard work brought rich returns. In 2015, the base's annual total output value reached more than 800,000 yuan, with annual net income of more than 200,000 yuan. Through vegetable farming, Chen Liangshan embarked on the road to prosperity. He not only supported his 4 children through school but also bought a car and a house in Laibin's urban area, becoming a locally somewhat well-known prosperous person, and his base also became a vegetable planting demonstration base for disabled persons in Xingbin District.

"If one person gets rich, that is not real wealth; only when everyone gets rich is it truly wealth." This is a saying Chen Liangshan often repeats. After becoming rich, he did not forget to help disabled people around him escape poverty. Every day, 5 disabled people work at his base, with labor costs of 70 yuan a day, allowing poor disabled people to find employment and increase their income right at their doorstep. At the same time, he provided free technical guidance and some financial support to disabled people interested in developing the vegetable industry. At present, more than 20 disabled people in surrounding villages and towns have developed vegetable production under his demonstration and leadership, successfully achieving poverty alleviation. Now, Chen Liangshan is also the village-level full-time disabled persons' affairs officer designated by Qiaogong Town. He uses his own experience to encourage more disabled brothers and sisters to remain strong in will despite disability, not wait or rely on others, and take the initiative to develop industries to escape poverty and become rich.