Ecological soft-shelled turtle farming: Luo Guiyun leads villagers in Hechuan to prosperity

Following a rugged rural road and after more than 30 minutes of bumping along, our group of writers finally arrived at the soft-shelled turtle farming base in Tangwan Village, Shuangfeng Town. A thin but capable middle-aged man came out to greet us. He was Luo Guiyun, a large-scale farmer in Tangwan Village, Shuangfeng Town, just over 50 years old this year. Speaking of his more than 30 years of life experience, it was truly extraordinary.

From digging coal to driving rural passenger vehicles

That year he was only 19, full of youthful vigor. Seeing how poor and backward his hometown was, he could no longer stay put and always wanted to go out and build a career. But he only had an elementary school education and could not do skilled work. What was he to do? He heard that the Sanhui Huaying Mountain coal mine needed a large number of coal workers, required no skills, and paid well, so he packed his bags and stepped into the ranks of coal workers. That job lasted 18 years.

"At that time I thought, it doesn't matter if a person has no skills; as long as you are willing to work, you can still change your fate. During those 18 years, while working, I kept thinking that I could not spend my whole life in a coal pit. At first I sold brute labor - digging coal - and then gradually began doing coal business. By 2002 I finally had some savings of my own, so I resolutely left the coal industry and returned to my hometown." Speaking of those years, Luo Guiyun opened up: "At that time, our Tangwan Village was considered a backward village community in the whole of Shuangfeng Town. It took 40-50 minutes for the people to go to market. The village had one rough dirt road, but no vehicles. I thought to myself, why not use the money I earned over these years to buy two agricultural passenger vehicles, which would both make things convenient for the people and support my family."

Luo Guiyun acted as soon as he decided. He immediately bought two rural passenger vehicles, drove one himself, and hired a driver for the other.

"If you ask about Luo Guiyun, he is a good man. Back then, driving a rural passenger vehicle from the village to the street was more than 5 km, and the fare was only three or four yuan per person, but he insisted on leaving early and returning late every market day. Usually, he would come whenever anyone called. Especially if a villager fell ill in the middle of the night or a woman went into labor at midnight, as long as there was one phone call, he would rush over immediately. What is most admirable is that when he met people on the road who had difficulty moving or who were from poor families, he would proactively give them a ride and never charge them." Tao Sicheng, Party branch secretary of Tangwan Village, told our writer.

"Now the roads are good and there are more rural passenger vehicles in the village, but my two rural passenger vehicles are still running as usual. But my son has grown up, so the two of us, father and son, can each drive one!" Luo Guiyun said with a smile.

From driving rural passenger vehicles to nursery planting

"In 2009, the roads in Tangwan Village were good and there were more rural passenger vehicles. Business should be shared by everyone!" Luo Guiyun said. "By giving some of the rural passenger business to other villagers, I could do other things. What could I do that would both make money and drive the local economy? At that time I thought: many people are going out to work now, and most of the village land has been left uncultivated. If I could transfer it and do some planting, wouldn't that be another new path to prosperity?"

Luo Guiyun can be described as a doer. That very year, he transferred all the land of more than 1,000 mu from two nearby village communities and began his career in nursery planting.

"Speaking of planting nurseries, I can say I made quite a lot of money, but I also endured a lot of hardship!" Luo Guiyun said. "With more than 1,000 mu of land, from raising seedlings to planting and management, in those years I worked from dawn to dusk and got plenty of complaints from my family. I also had to hire more than 50 workers for a long time. Every year, wages and land transfer fees alone cost more than 300,000. But in the past few years the nursery market was prosperous, and I made quite a lot of money. The villagers also gained no small benefit."

"Luo Guiyun really did a great good deed for our village. Look, our old couple has more than 5 mu of land. This year we are both over 60. As for this more than 5 mu of land, the two of us have long been unable to farm it." Zhang Yingju, a villager from Tangwan Community 11, told our writer. "A few years ago, we transferred it all to Luo Guiyun, and then the two of us worked long-term in his nursery. Our annual income is more than 10,000 yuan, which is many times better than farming the land ourselves! There are more than 30 households like us who both rent land to him and work long-term for his family. During busy times, 50-60 people work for his family. It can be said that every household of the villagers in our two village communities has received the benefits he provided."

"To be honest, when one person becomes rich, it often makes people jealous. I want everyone to earn more money at their own doorstep, so that fellow villagers can live in harmony!" Luo Guiyun said happily.

Farming ecological soft-shelled turtles to lead the whole village to prosperity

Now, Luo Guiyun has transferred more than 2,000 mu of land in Tangwan Village. In addition to planting nurseries, he also planted Sichuan lilies, and soft-shelled turtle farming has become his main industry.

"Speaking of farming soft-shelled turtles, that was also a coincidence. In 2012, I was buying seedlings from a nursery company in Chengdu and saw that some local people were farming ecological soft-shelled turtles, so I thought, our Tangwan Village has such a good environment, why not give it a try." Luo Guiyun said. "At that time I went to ask the local soft-shelled turtle farmers, and they said they were willing to provide me with breeding turtles and technology. When I got home, I immediately transferred several hundred more mu of land and set up an ecological soft-shelled turtle farming base. I have to say, farming soft-shelled turtles is not as easy as imagined. First is the investment. In these three years, I spent 6-7 million building the base and buying breeding turtles. Then, what is important is technology. In order to succeed in farming soft-shelled turtles, I sought experience from people by phone while also teaching myself from books. Every day before dawn, and even all night, I observed the growth habits of the soft-shelled turtles!"

"Actually, Old Luo has really worked hard these years. Every year from April to August, during the soft-shelled turtle egg-laying period, he has to get up before dawn to collect eggs, for at least 2 hours. Every day he has to feed the soft-shelled turtles 300-400 jin of fish and meat, and the small soft-shelled turtles also need steamed eggs!" Village director Qin Zhiping said. "But it is better now. At present, there are more than 70,000 soft-shelled turtles in his pond, and more than 30,000 are ready for market. The annual income from this is enormous."

"Speaking of income, that is certain, and it can be considered that the hard work and investment of these years have not been wasted," Luo Guiyun said. "At present, one of my imitative-ecological soft-shelled turtles can sell on the market for 800-1,000 yuan each. They are mainly sold to some restaurants, eateries, and supermarkets in Hechuan itself. Next, I plan to sell to surrounding districts and counties and the main urban area, and I am also preparing to enter the pharmaceutical market. In April this year, my soft-shelled turtles registered a trademark, and I also set up a website. I believe my sales channels will become wider and wider! I also have a bold idea: the water quality in our Tangwan Village is especially suitable for farming soft-shelled turtles. I want to encourage the surrounding people to farm them too, so that everyone can become prosperous on their own land!"