After getting rich, "Strawberry King" Zhang Zhiqiang leads the folks of Pingdingshan toward moderate prosperity

Pingdingshan "Strawberry King" Zhang Zhiqiang is introducing the situation to citizens who have come to pick strawberries

Right now is the peak season for off-season strawberry sales. On January 4, at the start of the new year, everything looks fresh and new. In Menlouzhang Village, Pucheng Subdistrict, Weidong District, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province, the hundred mu of plastic greenhouses roll with white waves under the gusts of cold wind, like patches of white clouds, yet inside the greenhouses it is as warm as spring. Many visitors are picking fresh, tender strawberries here, farmers are selling bright red strawberries, their wallets bulging, and their joy shines all the more on their faces.

That day, the author came to the hundred-mu strawberry garden of Menlouzhang Village, drawn by its reputation, and saw young farmer Zhang Zhiqiang photographing ripe strawberries, posting WeChat messages to his circle of friends, contacting supermarkets in the city, and helping disadvantaged people sell strawberries. "Qiuzhen, hurry back to the greenhouse and pick strawberries, the truck will be here soon."

Zhang Qiuzhen, over 50 years old, laughed heartily: "I'm going to pick strawberries right now!" Picking strawberries in the greenhouse, she told the author beaming with joy: "Zhiqiang is truly a capable man in the village, full of drive. In recent years he helped me build two greenhouses to grow strawberries, and every year I get a good harvest. I want to thank him properly."

Zhang Qiuzhen's family has 5 people. Her father-in-law is old and often ill, two children are in school, and the family had no way to earn money, so life was very hard. In 2012, Zhang Zhiqiang had Zhang Qiuzhen work in his greenhouse, earning more than 8,000 yuan a year.

In 2014, Zhang Zhiqiang came to Zhang Qiuzhen: "You should grow strawberries too. You've learned almost enough technique here. I'll help you build greenhouses and solve the funding for them." That autumn, Zhang Zhiqiang helped her build 2 greenhouses of 3 mu each to grow strawberries. After the strawberry seedlings were planted, Zhang Zhiqiang kept coming to Zhang Qiuzhen's greenhouses to observe the strawberries' growth and give on-site guidance on strawberry management techniques.

One day, Qiuzhen noticed that the strawberry leaves were turning yellow and some were withering and dying. So she called Zhang Zhiqiang. Zhang Zhiqiang put down the work in his hands and quickly came to Qiuzhen's greenhouse, examined the cause, found it was excessive fertiliser, and immediately took the measure of watering to dilute the fertiliser's strength. A few days later, the strawberry leaves turned green again. Thanks to Zhang Zhiqiang's careful guidance, Qiuzhen earned more than 30,000 yuan from growing strawberries that year.

This year, Qiuzhen's strawberries sold for 25 yuan per jin. She tells everyone she meets: "This is all thanks to Zhiqiang. Growing strawberries is even better than growing golden beans!"

Menlouzhang Village is located in a remote area. The whole village has more than 1,600 people and 800 mu of farmland. It was once a well-known poverty-stricken village, and now it has become a strawberry-specialised village known far and wide. Many villagers say excitedly: "Zhang Zhiqiang has made a great contribution."

The "Strawberry King" in Qiuzhen's words is named Zhang Zhiqiang, 42 years old this year, a young farmer from Menlouzhang Village. In 2011, seeing that the village had many people and little land, with no way to get rich, he resolved to do something for his neighbours. So he went to Shouguang, Shandong, to survey the market. When he saw that the farmers there had found the road to prosperity by growing strawberries, he conceived the idea of growing strawberries to get rich. After returning, he borrowed from here and there, raised more than 160,000 yuan, and was the first in the surrounding villages to build 5 greenhouses to grow strawberries. To solve technical problems, he invited masters from Shandong to come and guide them. As a result, that year each greenhouse earned more than 30,000 yuan, and afterwards he developed 7 more greenhouses.

In order to lead the whole village to prosperity by growing strawberries, he had more than 10 disadvantaged people from the village come to work and learn techniques, with a monthly wage of 1,500 yuan. At the same time, he mobilised the whole village to grow strawberries, and took out more than 60,000 yuan of his own money to help villagers build greenhouses, string electrical wires, and drill mechanised wells. All day long he tirelessly went into the greenhouses of disadvantaged households to check the strawberries' growth, explain planting techniques, and solve technical difficulties. Today the whole village has developed more than 50 households, more than 60 greenhouses, and more than 100 mu planted with strawberries, with the value per mu reaching more than 40,000 yuan.

Zhang Zhiqiang has successively led 18 disadvantaged households to prosperity through strawberries. Disadvantaged villager Wei Zhanjun, 40 years old this year, is a low-income household in the village. His family's 3 broken-down rooms let in heavy rain outside and light rain inside; his wife is intellectually disabled, and his child is in junior high school. Over the years, he has always worked in Zhang Zhiqiang's greenhouses, with a monthly wage of 2,000 yuan.

Recently, Zhang Zhiqiang is helping Wei Zhanjun build greenhouses to grow strawberries and get rich. Wei Zhanjun, moved, tells everyone he meets: "Without Zhiqiang's help, my family's life would be impossible!"

Talking about his plans for the future, Zhang Zhiqiang says full of confidence: "This year I want to expand the planting area, develop the greenhouses to 10, and I also plan to grow blueberries, and then help another 10 disadvantaged households get rich by growing strawberries!"

When the author left, the fiery red strawberries mirrored the evening glow on the horizon, reddening the smiling faces of the fruit growers. Zhang Zhiqiang looked at everything before him and smiled with comfort.