Frog Farming Fortune: The Wealth That Croaks
Frog farming was fraught with difficulties, and in the darkness of night, thieves were lurking, ready to strike. He was 28 years old, brave and unafraid of hardship, yet he was looked down upon for raising frogs, and even to start his business he could only use his wife's dowry money. His wife's tears taught him to be strong. Starting his business again, he did things differently. A unique frog game, and a popular dish that is beautiful in color, aroma, and taste. Wherever his frogs went, they swept the crowd, whipping up a whirlwind of enthusiasm. See how Deng Xinglong, a 28-year-old young man from Sichuan Province, poured out his youth through sweat and tears to realize his dream.
On April 3, 2016, when the reporter arrived in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, Deng Xinglong's appearance immediately caused a stir among the children. A sharp-eyed child noticed that he was carrying a bag of frogs in his hand.
Deng Xinglong: Have you ever played with frogs?
Child: No. ⟧7⟧ Deng Xinglong: Raise your hand if you have. Are you afraid?
Deng Xinglong: Raise your hand if you've played it. Are you scared?
Child: Not afraid.
Deng Xinglong: What about those who haven't played with them?
Today, Deng Xinglong delivered more than 200 jin of frogs to a local farmhouse restaurant. Besides supplying them, he was also going to hold a frog-themed parent-child interaction event here.
Deng Xinglong: It's about to start, here they come, catch them and put them in the bag. Slow down, these are farmed, you can't catch wild ones. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, they don't bite.
Many city children had never seen a live frog. The moment Deng Xinglong released them, the scene instantly exploded into chaos.
It was their first close encounter with frogs, and the children were both delighted and afraid. But when it came to catching frogs, each of them showed their own tricks.
Some lay on the ground, imitating a frog hopping step by step; some worked as a team, surrounding the frogs from front and back; some grabbed a frog by the leg and lifted it up with a gentle catch; and some children were even bolder, putting frogs on their heads, striking poses and playing with them balanced on top.
A game with frogs let the children freely release their true nature, and the parents watching the fun couldn't help but join in. Everyone was catching frogs for the first time. Those who knew how and those who didn't all rushed forward one after another, having a wonderful time.
Parent: We're really so lucky today. I've never caught one before, this is truly the first time. My child sings "little frog ribbit ribbit" every day, but he had never seen one. Today he finally saw one. Children should play on the ground like this.
Parent: He has a real business mind. We're all posting about it in our friend circle. We'll come again in the future.
Deng Xinglong: Over there, bag them, hurry, put them in the bag.
Deng Xinglong is 28 years old this year and a major local frog farmer. He uses this kind of experiential activity to attract visitors, which not only draws many customers to come buy frogs but also drives the development of nearby farmhouse restaurants. Deng Xinglong has a frog farming base of more than 150 mu, the largest in Chengdu. He is very famous locally, and many peers come to him to learn from his experience.
Customer Wang Wei: I graduated from a fisheries college. His methods, if not 100 percent scientific, are 99 percent scientific. He is my teacher.
Relying solely on frog farming, in 2016 Deng Xinglong would achieve annual sales of more than 8 million. Young as he is, he has already succeeded in business, and everyone admires him greatly. But what no one expected was that when the reporter asked about Deng Xinglong's entrepreneurial experience, not only did he himself hesitate to speak, but even his wife couldn't hold back her tears. So behind Deng Xinglong's success in frog farming at 28, what unknown story is there, and how did Deng Xinglong achieve wealth through frog farming?
Deng Xinglong was once a soldier. Low crawling and grappling were his specialties. In 2009, Deng Xinglong transferred from the military in Shandong and returned to work in the telecommunications department in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. At that time his monthly salary was over ten thousand, and his life was very happy. His parents and wife followed him from the countryside to settle in Chengdu. However, no one expected that this originally happy family would fall into hardship because of a meal Deng Xinglong accidentally ate.
This dish is a popular delicacy in Sichuan, "diving frog." Made with specially prepared frogs and cooked together with pickled radish and pickles, it tastes very tender and fresh. In 2011, Deng Xinglong's friend took him to eat such a frog feast once. The stir-fried frogs, smoked frogs, and all kinds of frog preparations on the table opened Deng Xinglong's eyes. At first he simply thought the frogs were delicious, but when it came time to pay, everyone present was stunned.
Deng Xinglong: I didn't expect it to be so expensive. Seven people ate and it cost more than 2,000. A dish like this alone was 600, and there weren't many frogs, just a few dozen.
Although the price of frogs is relatively high, Sichuan people's love for eating frogs has not diminished. To let us see everyone's enthusiasm for frogs, on April 3, 2016, Deng Xinglong took us to an outdoor barbecue area at a farmhouse restaurant in Chengdu.
"Meat skewers, meat skewers** meat skewers..."
To attract the attention of the diners, Deng Xinglong came prepared today. He deliberately brought more than a hundred skewers of frogs that could be grilled directly, intending to hand them out for everyone to taste for free. However, even Deng Xinglong himself didn't expect that the locals were so enthusiastic about frogs that before he could even get ready, as soon as they heard there were frogs to eat, everyone immediately stopped the barbecue at hand and all gathered around.
Deng Xinglong: One skewer each, don't fight over them.
Citizen: Give me another skewer, here, here, my hand is stretched out enough already.
Deng Xinglong: Slow down.
Deng Xinglong: Have you already gotten one? Why are you back again?
Everyone stretched out their hands waiting for Deng Xinglong to hand out the frogs. More than a hundred frogs were snatched up in less than a minute.
Deng Xinglong: They're gone, all handed out. The quantity is limited, one skewer each.
Those who didn't get a frog could only watch helplessly as others tasted the delicacy. Holding their fresh spoils, everyone put the frogs on the stove, flipped them, sprinkled some chili powder, and once grilled, ate them with delight.
Citizen: Frogs are really delicious, just eaten like this. Eat a frog and turn into a prince.
Citizen: Braised, stir-fried, so delicious you keep going back and forth for more. It's just a bit expensive. Sponsor a few more and it'll be fine.
The situation back then was just like this. Seeing how interested everyone was in frogs, Deng Xinglong was tempted. He felt that if he raised frogs himself, he would definitely make money. After visiting the major aquatic product markets around Chengdu, Deng Xinglong found that not only did frogs sell at a high price, but the market was also very tight.
Distributor Liu Bin: Basically they sell out as soon as they arrive, at a price of 20-40 yuan, no worries about selling.
Deng Xinglong: It felt like there was no need to worry about selling. People's attitude was quite arrogant, saying as long as you have them, we'll come collect them. I felt this market had great prospects.
In April 2011, disregarding everyone's opposition, Deng Xinglong resigned from his job with a monthly salary of over ten thousand and returned to the countryside to raise frogs. He took out all his savings of 200,000 and built a frog farm covering 20 mu in Lezhi County, Ziyang City, his hometown. Deng Xinglong originally wanted to use frogs to realize his dream of getting rich, but who knew that what happened next would cause him such unbearable pain, and even turn him into a man starting a business with his wife's dowry.