Young Man Returns Home to Grow Succulents: Baiquan Town in Zhejiang Opens a New Path to Prosperity

Loach breeding bases, Chuanqi Manor, Zhouquan Fruit Art Garden…… In recent years, with the strong support of the Baiquan Town government, various youthstartup projectshave been “breaking through the soil” like bamboo shoots after rain in Baiquan Town. Among the manystartup projects, the “Chuangwai Succulent Base” located in Jinshan Village, Baiquan Town, has recently been especially popular.

Entering the base's greenhouse, one sees succulent plants of peculiar shapes and rich colors placed everywhere on flower racks, in flower beds and on platforms, as if it were a miniature botanical garden. The owner here is 31-year-old local young man Jiang Wubin. After graduating from university, Jiang Wubin decided to start his own business. He ran a fruit shop and also operated a flower shop. In the second half of 2013, cute-looking succulents suddenly became popular online. Sensing a business opportunity, he decisively contracted more than 1 mu of land in Ma'ao Subdistrict and established a succulent planting base, but this was still quite difficult for a young man with no planting experience at all. “At first I didn't fully understand the planting methods, and the succulents I cultivated grew poorly and had poor color. Moreover, the succulent varieties were limited, the base was in a remote location, not many people came to buy, and sales channels were not broad.” Jiang Wubin said that at that time the base's average monthly turnover was only more than 2,000 yuan, and it was in a state of loss for a long time. Faced with this situation, Jiang Wubin did not give up. Instead, the more setbacks he suffered, the braver he became. He worked hard to think of countermeasures and actively changed his approach.

In the first half of last year, Jiang Wubin returned to Jinshan Village and contracted 5 mu of wasteland upstream of Jinshan Reservoir to start planting succulents again. On the one hand, he explored cultivation techniques with even more care, and went many times to Shandong, Fujian, Shanghai and other places to learn cultivation skills. Whenever he had free time, he browsed various succulent forums and exchanged experience with netizens. On the other hand, he changed his approach and decided not to “focus” on retail anymore but instead to do succulent wholesale, and tried to open up markets through online channels such as WeChat and QQ. Facts also proved that Jiang Wubin won a beautiful “turnaround battle.” This new base has high terrain, a large temperature difference between day and night, and sufficient light, making it suitable for succulent growth. Coupled with improved cultivation techniques, the succulents in the base grew quite pleasingly and were deeply loved by succulent enthusiasts. Today, the base has nearly 300 varieties, more than 5,000 plants of succulents, and more than 100,000 leaf-cutting seedlings, among which there is no lack of rare varieties. “For varieties like Kuangye Nanjue, Shuipao, and Yuanshi Wumu, those on the market are basically all hybrids, while ours are introduced as original species from Korea, Europe and other places.” According to Jiang Wubin, these rare succulents can sell for as much as 7,000 yuan to 8,000 yuan per pot, and the cheapest cost about 500 yuan per pot.

As its reputation has grown, the base's average monthly turnover can reach 30,000 yuan. Next, Jiang Wubin plans to expand the base's scale and let succulent plants enter more people's homes and lives.