Liu Peisheng's entrepreneurial story of getting rich by farming shrimp

    "Being rich alone does not count as being rich; only when everyone is well-off is it true wealth." "In the past, I saw that there was a lot of surplus idle labor in the countryside, and most of them were the 'three-withouts' - first, without production funds; second, without production skills; and third, without work opportunities. They were a vulnerable group in society, with no means of livelihood, and some even had difficulty paying for their children's schooling. I kept thinking about how to help these people in difficulty." - Liu Peisheng

Liu Peisheng (right) patiently teaches villagers breeding techniques. Photo by Xie Furui

"Liu Peisheng got rich by farming shrimp, and after getting rich he did not forget his fellow villagers, actively leading them onto the road to prosperity. Every year he also funds local education and donates to the village elderly association. Many farmers in the village who now live in villa-style houses have received his help, and the changes in this village owe something to Liu Peisheng." A few days ago, the reporter walked into Baiqing Village, Da'ao Town. Neat villa-style buildings stood in rows on both sides of the wide streets, and village officials enthusiastically recounted Liu Peisheng's deeds.

His home became a training center

Arriving at Liu Peisheng's home, more than a dozen villagers were sitting around him, smoking water pipes while discussing breeding techniques and experience.

"After years of practice, Liu Peisheng has mastered the essentials of scientific breeding, often updates his knowledge, and is good at summarizing experience, gradually becoming a well-known local aquaculture 'self-taught expert.'" Village officials introduced that in 2004, Liu Peisheng was elected vice president of the Da'ao Town Aquaculture Association. In 2006 he was rated as an assistant aquaculture engineer. In 2007 he was awarded the title of "Jiangmen City Fourth Batch Outstanding Young and Middle-aged Experts and Top-notch Talent." In 2008 he was awarded the title of "Xinhui District Third Batch Professional and Technical Top-notch Talent," and was appointed as a member of the Xinhui District Professional and Technical Expert Committee.

"He shares his breeding techniques with everyone without reservation." Villager Mai Changrong told the reporter. After finishing work each day, Mai Changrong likes to drop by Liu Peisheng's home whether he has business or not. "Sitting at his home is making money. He not only tells everyone how to solve the shrimp farming problems encountered recently, but also provides a lot of information, providing us with pre-production, mid-production and post-production services."

Now, Liu Peisheng is recognized in the village as a breeding consultant, and his home has also become a training center for nearby farmers. Every evening, no fewer than 10 farmers come to his home to exchange breeding insights and study breeding techniques.

Leading farmers to prosperity together

In the early days, Liu Peisheng completed his capital accumulation by setting up a palm-leaf fan factory and other businesses. In 1993, he set his sights on the aquaculture industry. By opening a feed sales store, operating a shrimp seedling breeding farm and contracting fish ponds to farm whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei), he achieved relatively good economic returns and became one of the first people locally to get rich. Last year, his feed store sold 2,100 tons of feed, bred 1 billion shrimp seedlings, contracted 1,410 mu of shrimp ponds, produced 1,500 tons of fish and shrimp, and sold 500 tons of aquatic products, with total annual output value of 31 million yuan and annual net income of 2.3 million yuan.

"In the past, I saw that there was a lot of surplus idle labor in the countryside, and most of them were the 'three-withouts' - first, without production funds; second, without production skills; and third, without work opportunities. They were a vulnerable group in society, with no means of livelihood, and some even had difficulty paying for their children's schooling. I kept thinking about how to help these people in difficulty." Liu Peisheng said that he decided to put up funds to contract more land and, through advanced-funding joint-stock operation, help these people in difficulty farm shrimp, so as to solve their employment problem and lead them onto the road of getting rich through labor.

In 2008 alone, there were 32 farming households in joint operation with Liu Peisheng, covering 1,380 mu. Each joint-operation household made a profit of more than 50,000 yuan, and some even made a profit of up to 300,000 yuan. "Over the past decade, more than 100 local farming households have, under his help and guidance, set foot on the road to prosperity through aquaculture." Village officials said.

Helping a gambler "start a new life"

In the early years, Baiqing Village villager Feng Huapei, because of his addiction to gambling, lost all his savings and piled up debts, and could not even pay his son's tuition, so his wife had to go out to work. "At that time I had no human dignity at all. Not only villagers in this village, but villagers from neighboring villages would avoid me when they saw me." Feng Huapei said with emotion that at the time, some villagers would teach their children, saying that if they did not study hard, they would grow up to be like the gambling addict Feng Huapei.

After Liu Peisheng learned of Feng Huapei's situation, he visited him many times to persuade him and provided funds to farm shrimp with him as joint shareholders. After half a year of effort, Feng Huapei made a profit of 30,000 yuan from shrimp farming. Seeing hope in life, Feng Huapei worked even harder, rising early and working late, sometimes even sleeping at the shrimp farm to tend the shrimp. When he encountered problems he did not understand, he asked Liu Peisheng. The success of shrimp farming in recent years brought him profits of several hundred thousand yuan. "Now the villagers no longer call me a gambling addict. I'm happy! I now live a life with dignity." Feng Huapei's smile looked especially bright in the fields: "Liu Peisheng let me 'start a new life.'"