Four years ago, he abandoned the comfortable lifestyle of a coal boss and went to the Zhongtiao Mountains in Xia County to raise organic wild boars in a free-range manner. He poured all his family assets into it. Advancing through trial and error, and summarizing experience as he went, his life was rewritten. He is Yang Tianzhen. Some say his brain was kicked by a donkey. His wife tearfully urged him to stop before it was too late, and his friends earnestly advised him to return to the “coal” business. A arduous path of pig farming—he stubbornly endured it. His perseverance brought a turning point. In March 2010, his pork obtained organic product certification. In major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, his pork sold out immediately upon arrival, with the price rising from 80 yuan per kilogram to 120 yuan.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
CCTV-2“s ”Road to Wealth“ program came to interview him, and pig farmers from all over the country came to learn from his experience. Those who had once mocked him began to re-examine his ”deep-mountain pig farming philosophy."Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Starting a Fortune in Coal and CokeӨгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
A baby face, a crew cut. Sincere, stubborn, and straightforward—Yang Tianzhen's personality traits are vividly displayed on his face. He speaks with vigor and walks with vigor; he seems to have endless things to do.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
He is from Zhangcun Town, Pinglu County, and is 47 years old this year.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Twenty years ago, he was an employee at the Pinglu County Air Compressor Parts Factory. As the enterprise declined, he resolutely resigned and went to work for a coal trading company in Sanmenxia City, Henan Province, just across the river.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Diligent and shrewd, he gained the favor of the company boss and was put in charge of various matters related to railway freight. In the early 1990s, his salary was over 800 yuan, which was considered high pay. However, dealing with coal all day long, he had endless coal dust to cough up from his throat and endless black particles to rub out of his eyes.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
The business world is full of uncertainties. The coal trading company where Yang Tianzhen worked went bankrupt due to poor management. He analyzed the reasons for the company's failure and, leveraging the connections he had made during his work, went to Hejin City to secure several long-term coal and coke transportation contracts.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Yang Tianzhen was generous by nature, and with his dedicated management, business grew increasingly busy. Over several years, he accumulated enormous wealth and became a renowned figure in the coal and coke transportation sector of Yuncheng City. Amid the wealth built on “black gold,” Yang Tianzhen bought land and property, rode in a Mercedes-Benz, dined lavishly, and socialized with big bosses in the coal and coke industry—his life was the envy of others. He was a man of true passion, yet different from the ordinary passionate type—he loved to ponder things.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
“The drawbacks of long-term excessive mining of coal resources in our province were being exposed one by one—environmental pollution, resource destruction, unbalanced economic development in coal-producing areas, and other contradictions were being reported by the media. Starting in September 2005, our province adopted measures to close illegal coal mines, upgrade small coal mines, and promote the development of large groups. In 2006, a ‘New Coal Policy’ was implemented to establish sustainable development funds. I realized that making money in the coal industry was no longer easy. If I didn't do this line of work, what else could I do?” Yang Tianzhen pondered.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
One day, he was having a meal with a group of coal bosses. Eating delicacies from land and sea, the bosses sincerely reminisced: “We can never again taste that pork flavor from when we were kids—the kind where a village slaughtered one pig a year. That fragrance!” Others just made casual remarks, but Yang Tianzhen kept turning those words over and over in his mind.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
“If green pig farming can be achieved, safe pork will surely win consumers” favor and will certainly have economic benefits." A simple concept surfaced in Yang Tianzhen's mind.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Creating a National ModelӨгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
One day in 2007, a friend who had borrowed 50,000 yuan from Yang Tianzhen came to his door. “Look, I've invested so much money without seeing any returns, and now I have no money to buy feed. How about you join me?” The friend was from Xia County and sincerely extended the invitation. Yang Tianzhen, who was planning his transformation, drove with this friend to the pig farm in Sijiao Town, Xia County.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
It was the season of singing birds and fragrant flowers. The mountains were lush and green, with springs babbling in the valleys—like a fairyland on earth. Yang Tianzhen took a walk around the mountain, and the wild fruits covering the hillsides captivated him. The wild chestnuts were small but so sweet they made one smack their lips, and the wild strawberries in the valleys were also a delicacy.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Yang Tianzhen, who had dealt with coal yards for half his life, fell in love with this place from the bottom of his heart. Looking at hundreds of domestic pigs penned in pigsties, squealing from hunger, he said: “Pigs can indeed be raised, but not this way.” To engage in farming, one must take a different path. He wanted to release the pigs to roam the mountains, where they would not eat feed but wild fruits and drink mineral water. Especially in autumn after September, ripe wild chestnuts, walnuts, persimmons, and jujubes could provide abundant food for the pigs.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Had anyone ever raised pigs this way? He didn't know. The naive Yang Tianzhen set off. He drove to various parts of the country to learn from others.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
After making the rounds in Fujian and Shandong, various novel and exotic pig farming methods opened his eyes, but no farm had yet raised pigs on the mountain. A Shandong breeding expert, after inquiring about the environment around Yang Tianzhen's pig farm, said: “Organic pigs are very popular internationally, but organic pigs that eat wild fruits and drink mountain spring water truly don't exist. If you can really produce completely pollution-free, original ecological organic pigs, your pork will be number one in the world.”Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Number one in the world! Yang Tianzhen was thrilled and eager to try. In fact, looking back now, when Yang Tianzhen asked the professor what the standards for organic pigs were, the professor had also been momentarily stumped. A detail that was overlooked at the time ended up giving rise to Yang Tianzhen's original organic pig farming model.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Back in Xia County, Yang Tianzhen invested over a million yuan to build a pig farm. The forest area of Sijiao Town in the Zhongtiao Mountains was still more than ten li by car from the nearest mountain village, and Yang Tianzhen's pig farm was located deep within the forest area—remote and inconvenient to access. To build the pig farm, Yang Tianzhen lived on the mountain every day, digging rocks and building foundations alongside the workers. He contracted over ten thousand mu of mountain land and bought several hundred domestic pigs, beginning his path of organic pig farming.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Villagers from surrounding villages came in droves to watch the spectacle. “The mountain is so big—can pigs really be raised here?” During an interview, Sun Sanyuan, Party branch secretary of Xigou Village, recalled: "When we heard that a coal boss had come to the mountain to raise pigs and was going to release them on the mountain, the villagers were all very puzzled. Is there something wrong with this person? Pigs running around every day won't gain weight—how can he make money?"Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Once Suffered Heavy LossesӨгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
In the summer of 2008, his partner suggested driving the pigs up the mountain. “After autumn, just like harvesting crops, we'll gather the pigs back.” Inexperienced Yang Tianzhen, though doubtful, followed the suggestion.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Over the following half year, Yang Tianzhen constantly pondered the standards for organic pigs. He stockpiled pig feed—organic corn—and installed pollution-free fermentation beds in the pigsties, busily occupied every day. Winter was approaching, and suppressing his joy of impending harvest, he hired a group of villagers to go up the mountain to “collect the pigs.”Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Searching and searching, dozens of villagers exhausted themselves and recovered just over 600 pigs. “That's not right—when they went up the mountain, there were over 1,000. How come now there aren't more, but fewer?” Yang Tianzhen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He and his partner went up the mountain overnight, flashlights in hand, searching frantically everywhere for the pigs.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
After several days and nights, Yang Tianzhen drove a few more pigs down the mountain, disheveled and dirty. After descending, he plopped down on the ground, and at that moment he truly felt like giving up. After a long while, he came to his senses and understood that he was already on the arrow's tip and had no choice but to press forward.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Poor management was the reason for the failure of this free-range model. Subsequently, Yang Tianzhen hired more than ten free-range handlers who drove the pigs up the mountain in the early morning and back in the evening, counting the numbers daily and providing focused supervision.
Yang Tianzhen's domestic pigs ran up the mountain and fell in love with the wild boars in the forest, and after coming down the mountain they produced the fruit of their love. These were the second-generation wild boars. The second-generation wild boars had enhanced climbing ability, integrating the various advantages of their parents, with meat quality significantly superior to domestic pigs and pure wild boars. “In 2008, his cost per kilogram of pork already exceeded 60 yuan, while ordinary pork was less than 20 yuan. Tell me, how could he make money?” said Yang Tianzhen's friend. His thinking was very advanced. He said that pollution-free green pork would be the darling of the future meat market, and within 3 years, it would certainly open up the market.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Infrastructure cost money, hiring personnel cost money, launching projects cost money—Yang Tianzhen poured large sums of money into the mountain. “Investment couldn't keep up. He mortgaged his house and car for loans and poured large amounts of money into the pig farm. During the toughest days, the family's monthly living expenses were less than 300 yuan, and his wife's daily meals were steamed buns and pickles. His wife didn't understand and shed tears, asking him: What are you doing this for? You had a perfectly good money-making business and gave it up to raise pigs? Fine, raising pigs is one thing, but others raise pigs that are ready for market in 3 months, while you take 12 months. Others feed pigs at 1 yuan per kilogram of feed, while you feed them organic corn at 4 yuan per kilogram? Others just build a pigsty, while you spend hundreds of thousands a year on fermentation beds? Tell me, what exactly are you trying to do?” “My friends didn't understand, my wife didn't understand, and I silently endured it all. I myself knew clearly that what I was doing was meeting organic standards. This thing—if I don't do it, someone else will. This is the future development trend. The more severe the pollution, the more organic food will be esteemed. Organic pigs have high requirements for their pens—zero pollution, zero emissions. The fermentation bed is produced by fermenting sawdust and straw, rapidly converting feces and urine and other waste. The high protein and fungi it produces are beneficial to the pigs.” Yang Tianzhen explained.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Twelve months later, the improved second-generation wild boars were ready for market. He gave the pork to friends to taste, and everyone smacked their lips and said “fragrant.” “Pigs that exercise every day have more lean meat, and the pork is more chewy.” On this point, Yang Tianzhen was very confident.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Second-generation wild boars, free-range, eating wild fruits, drinking spring water, sleeping on fermentation beds, eating organic corn... These are Yang Tianzhen's key keywords for organic pigs. What are the organic standards? Yang Tianzhen thought about this constantly. When people get sick they take medicine, and when pigs get sick they also have to take medicine. If pigs take chemical drugs, can they still be called organic pigs?Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Yang Tianzhen said no. Pigs that take medicine cannot be called organic pigs in his book. He continuously adjusted his new standards. He traveled to Fujian and invited traditional Chinese medicine veterinary expert Lan Bingrong. The 70-year-old Mr. Lan had spent years researching projects using traditional Chinese medicine to prevent livestock diseases.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
With a monthly salary of 6,000 yuan, this elderly man who had been worried about having no outlet for his skills settled down at “Jianxin Breeding Cooperative.” The mountain's unique medicinal herbs—Forsythia suspensa, Polygala tenuifolia, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Gentiana macrophylla, hawthorn, peach kernel, wild jujube seed, Polyporus umbellatus, Schisandra chinensis, Anemone altaica, and nearly 20 other varieties—became daily supplementary ingredients for the organic pigs. “I plan to, once I have the funds, import a set of equipment from abroad so that organic pigs can die without pain, and their bodies won't accumulate any toxins, which will better meet the standards.” In this way, Yang Tianzhen created his original organic pig farming model, launching an ambitious sprint toward the title of “number one in the world.”Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Leading Villagers to ProsperityӨгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
In March 2010, all organic product certification procedures were completed. That very day, Yang Tianzhen's 3 pigs sold for 20,000 yuan. This news was like dropping a bomb in the deep mountains. The surrounding villagers were shocked and came in droves to inquire, wanting to raise organic pigs too.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Leading impoverished villagers to prosperity had always been Yang Tianzhen's “save-the-world” dream. But he was unwilling to let these kind and simple villagers bear risks. He was waiting for the right moment. Once his products completely opened up the market and the market matured, he would guide the villagers onto a path to prosperity.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
So he made a firm resolution, borrowed money to invest in a production line, packaged the pork into bags, and personally traveled to various science and technology trade fairs with his products, step by step opening up the market. Hard work always pays off. More and more people began to pay attention to green food.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Around the Spring Festival of 2011, sales of 5,000 kilograms of organic pork gave Yang Tianzhen peace of mind. He knew that the shift in mindset was the supporting point for the rise of the organic industry. “Before leading the villagers to prosperity, I have to consider many issues. How can economic development not destroy the pristine natural environment of the Zhongtiao Mountains? I brought in forestry experts, and after a long period of investigation and verification, found that pig manure can add fertilizer to the forest area, and pigs won't gnaw on trees—they only focus on ground-level acorns and wild fruits, which indirectly benefits the forest soil. With this conclusion, I felt reassured. I can plan a broader environmentally friendly organic path.” Yang Tianzhen's speech and thinking demonstrate that he is a businessman with a sense of responsibility.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
Currently, Yang Tianzhen's company has two free-range bases, five breeding farms, and one slaughterhouse, making it the largest organic wild boar breeding base in the province.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
He is planning a path to prosperity for the people of the Zhongtiao Mountains. He hopes everyone will first plant organic corn to solve the feed problem for organic pigs, then raise organic pigs according to his standards, and next convert the fertilizer from the fermentation beds into an organic fertilizer production line. Finally, he also wants to develop eco-tourism. “The Zhongtiao Mountains have the most tree species of any forest area in Shanxi, with a forest area of 24,700 hectares and a coverage rate of about 40%, mainly consisting of deciduous broad-leaved mixed forests dominated by oak species and Chinese pine forests, as well as precious Eucommia ulmoides, black catalpa, and lacquer trees. Local farmers can raise organic pigs while running farmhouse lodging and dining. Tourists from all over can come here to enjoy the scenery, taste organic pork, taste wild fruits, and drink mountain spring water.” Yang Tianzhen envisioned.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
On February 6, under the glow of the setting sun, the free-range handlers whistled, and herds of organic pigs strode back to their pens from the steep mountains. In the office, Yang Tianzhen and several farmers were filling out organic corn planting survey forms. A green path to prosperity extended into the distance from beneath the feet of this coal boss.Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/
(Source: Sanjin Metropolis Daily, February 9, 2011, 10:16)Өгүүлэл нь ...-аас авсанFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/mn/11286/