Growing chestnuts set Li Fengshan of Chenjia Village on the road to prosperity

    The autumn breeze brings coolness, and boughs bend under heavy fruit. Walking into the chestnut orchard of Li Fengshan's family in Chenjia Village, Huanghuadian Town, Xiuyan County, Anshan, one sees large chestnut trees with luxuriant branches and leaves stretching across the hillsides as far as the eye can see, a scene of abundant harvest. The ripe chestnuts have split open their spiky outer husks; as the autumn wind blows, the heavy chestnuts bob among the yellowing chestnut leaves and from time to time fall to the ground. Li Fengshan's family, carrying wooden baskets on shoulder poles, pick chestnuts in the orchard, their busy figures unable to hide the family's joy of a bumper harvest. 

    When we saw Li Fengshan, he was picking chestnuts under the chestnut trees; at first glance, the not-tall Li Fengshan exuded a shrewd, energetic spirit from within. Delighted beyond measure, Li Fengshan told the reporter: "This year the weather has been favorable, the chestnuts have grown well, and we produced more than 5000 kg of chestnuts, with profits reaching more than 20,000 yuan." 

    Li Fengshan, 47 this year, is a farmer through and through. He has grown chestnuts for more than 20 years, and his chestnut orchard has grown from an initial 500 trees to more than 2800 today. Not only has the orchard kept expanding in scale, but the chestnut varieties are also very rich. At present, his chestnut orchard has developed into an important agricultural demonstration orchard in Huanghuadian Town. Li Fengshan dares to innovate, using scientific growing methods and meticulous management to ensure a bumper chestnut harvest every year, and because of this he has become a chestnut champion known far and wide. 

    Huanghuadian Town is rich in mountain forest resources, but the geographical features of high mountains and deep valleys had long troubled farmers in their efforts to get rich. The daring Li Fengshan, however, set his mind on making something of the mountains. Twenty years ago, he and his parents bought more than 100 mu of barren hillside, and bought 500 chestnut trees to develop an economy in the forest. From then on, Li Fengshan shuttled every day through the chestnut orchard on the mountain, tending the chestnut trees all over the hills with great care.