Second-generation farmer returns home to raise sheep, becomes a pillar of prosperity in a poor mountain valley

For a child born into a rural family, getting into university is something that makes parents proud. But after graduating from university, he returned home and became a "shepherd," eating and sleeping at the base, getting up early and working late every day to cut grass, feed the sheep, and clean up sheep manure... living a life of "dancing with sheep." He is Liu Chunhua of Tujia Village, Yanbei Town, Yongfeng County. Recently, a reporter walked into Liu Chunhua's sheep-raising base - Wangchuan Mountain Farm - and saw rows upon rows of sheep pens, where the flocks were eating fodder, bleating "baa baa" from time to time.

Started entrepreneurship in university

Liu Chunhua was born in 1986, of medium build, with slightly dark skin. In 2005, he was admitted to the Vehicle Engineering major at Huaqiao University in Fujian with a score of 595. During university, Liu Chunhua had an unusual experience. On campus, he set up street stalls, ran a flower shop, a small restaurant, and a guesthouse. The income not only covered his tuition, but he also sent the money he earned back home, making him a well-known "celebrity" on campus.

In 2009, Liu Chunhua graduated from university, and he and several partners ran a building materials store in Xiamen. As time went on, he always felt unsatisfied, wanting to strike out while young and build a career of his own. In 2011, by a chance opportunity, Liu Chunhua met the owner of the Fumeng Sheep Industry Farm in Inner Mongolia and learned that sheep raising had promising prospects. After going to Inner Mongolia to take a look, he returned to Xiamen, withdrew from the building materials store, and devoted himself entirely to the Fumeng Sheep Industry Farm. At the farm, Liu Chunhua started as an ordinary feeder. The farm owner, optimistic about Liu Chunhua as a promising talent with entrepreneurial drive, often sent him out to study. Over more than a year, Liu Chunhua traveled to large-scale sheep-raising bases across 32 provincial-level administrative regions nationwide, and through his efforts became a technician at the Fumeng Sheep Industry Farm.

Resolutely returned home to raise sheep

At the end of 2013, Liu Chunhua returned to his hometown for the New Year and learned that the sheep-raising base at Wangchuan Mountain Farm in his hometown had been abandoned for 3 years, but the pens, water troughs, and various facilities were still fairly intact. After some investigation, he found that the climate, soil, and water quality were very suitable for raising sheep, and with his rich experience, he felt an itch of excitement.

In February 2014, Liu Chunhua quit his job and returned home to rent the farm at a low price. His decision met with strong opposition from his family, and many people waited to laugh at him, but the stubborn Liu Chunhua was determined to develop the sheep-raising industry. After tidying up the breeding base, on July 1, Liu Chunhua spent more than 300,000 yuan to introduce over 300 Hu sheep from the Fumeng Sheep Industry Farm in Inner Mongolia to begin raising them. To save costs, Liu Chunhua ate and slept at the base, hired no one to help, and devoted all his energy to raising sheep. He cleaned the sheep pens spotless, and for the newborn lambs, he fed them patiently as if caring for children. When the weather was good, Liu Chunhua got up early to drive the flock up the mountain to graze. In winter, a certain room temperature needed to be maintained in the sheep pens, so Liu Chunhua sealed all the ventilation openings with plastic sheeting, and sometimes he had to get up in the middle of the night to check, "dancing with sheep" all day long. Whenever a ewe gave birth to a lamb, Liu Chunhua stayed by its side, even sleeping in the sheep shed. Hard work pays off for the dedicated. Through careful management and scientific feeding, Liu Chunhua's sheep fattened quickly, and there was never a case of illness or death. In May of this year, he sold the first batch of more than 200 sheep to Guangdong, Fujian, and other places, earning his first pot of gold, with a net profit of more than 150,000 yuan.

Leading villagers to prosper together

Having tasted success, Liu Chunhua was full of drive and decided to expand the scale of breeding. Liu Chunhua leveraged preferential policies such as the agricultural credit linkage for college student entrepreneurship and small-interest-free loans, and took out a loan of 300,000 yuan in one go. "Currently, my base has 600 Hu sheep and black goats of all sizes. Sales are better in winter and prices are higher. A merchant from Guangdong has already signed a sales contract with me," Liu Chunhua said with a face full of joy.

Now, in the eyes of the villagers, Liu Chunhua's breeding base is undoubtedly a "treasure bowl," and they give a thumbs-up to this college graduate who returned home to start a business. With the help of relevant departments, his breeding base registered and established the Tianqin Ecological Sheep Farm Family Farm on December 1, 2014.

"Being rich alone doesn't count as being rich; only when everyone is rich does it count as being rich." Liu Chunhua opened the door to prosperity through raising sheep, but he feels that as the village's college graduate, he should lead the villagers to prosperity together. "I hope more people will participate in the sheep-raising industry. I will teach my techniques without reservation, help them introduce fine breeds, and build standardized sheep pens," Liu Chunhua said with full confidence. Under his leadership, more than 20 households in the town have now developed sheep-raising businesses.