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Green pioneer goes back to his roots
By Wu Huixin |
March 28, 2013, Thursday
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ZHANG Xinyu loves nature and makes a living without damaging the environment.
He runs the Parent-child Farmhouse in Liangzhu Culture Village, Yuhang District in Hangzhou and rents small plots of land to people who want to grow their own fruit or vegetables.
He also has a microblog on sina.com. The account is called Plant Sishu and is devoted to information and pictures about plants.
Zhang says he has more than 5,000 followers and that people write to him for advice about many issues relating to plants. In some cases he even helps those who are poisoned by plants.
In one incident, a child in Guangdong Province mistakenly ate a toxic plant. The child's parents posted a picture of the plant on Plant Sishu, and Zhang says he provided the plant's scientific name and assisted doctors in judging its toxicity. It turned out the plant was breynia fruticosa, which can harm the liver if ingested by humans.
Zhang says he chose the name Plant Sishu because in Chinese the characters sishu mean private school. He teaches children basic knowledge about botany at his farmhouse along with running the microblog.
Zhang says he started up the farmhouse in 2011, when he rented 2 hectares of land and built a greenhouse, cottages, vegetable fields, ponds and more. He grows organic food and leases out plots on his "Happy Farm." Each plot with 16 square meters is charged for 160 yuan (US$25.70) per month. Customers are free to grow whatever they want on their patch of land.
"The guests cover three types of people. First, there are old people who previously lived in the countryside but now reside in the city. They enjoy picking up farm tools again and relieving the tedium of urban life," Zhang says.
"The second type are people who once lived in rural areas and farmed in their childhood. In order to recall their childhood, they come here and do a little farming.
"Finally there are parents who bring their kids here to experience village life and learn more about nature," Zhang adds.
No matter who his customers are and why they are there, Zhang is very particular about one thing - chemical fertilizers and pesticides are forbidden.
"Anyone who is found using such fertilizers will be expelled," Zhang says. "This is clearly recorded in our contracts."
He says almost 80 families have rented plots this year.
"In the summer days, the vegetables grown on these small plots can meet a family's daily requirements. If they have no time to take care of their vegetables on work days, we offer help."
Zhang employs six people to help run the farmhouse.
Zhang Yaying, 23, is a gardener in the greenhouse, where the temperature is much higher than outside. She takes care of the potted plants.
The horticulture major says working in the farmhouse makes good use of her knowledge while she also enjoys the quiet and peaceful surroundings of the countryside.
To Zhang Xinyu, this natural style of living suits him perfectly.
Zhang spent his teenage years living near Dabie Mountain in Anhui Province. The area is famous for its lush vegetation and steep hills. He says its beauty left a deep impression and made him fall in love with nature.
"Once upon a time, people were close to nature. But now, high-tech equipment occupy people's lives, taking us away from nature. When kids ask us what's the name of a certain plant, most of us cannot answer. That's a shame," Zhang Xinyu says.
"I opened the farmhouse to help restore the relationship between humans and nature. Though it took me 300,000 yuan to open the farmhouse and the cost has still not been recouped, I believe more and more people will come here," Zhang Xinyu adds.
He and his workers plant vegetables, trees, flowers and other greenery according to the season. Nowadays, the rape flowers and crab apple blossoms are thriving, while radishes and green vegetables are being harvested.
Last year, they harvested 150 kilograms of pears and used them to make 10 kilograms of pear juice without any artificial additives. They sold the juice for 138 yuan per 200 milliliters. Despite the high price, the pear juice sold out.
"The current food safety issues have made some people prefer organic food," Zhang Xinyu says. "These days the radishes have been pickled and are ready for people to buy."
The farmhouse also welcomes groups to hold barbecues and other events. He says some customers have suggested he add a restaurant, but Zhang Xinyu says he is not interested because he doesn't want it to spoil the tranquil environment.
In his spare time, Zhang enjoys drawing pictures of flowers and plants.
Summing up the importance of plants in his life, he says, "Plants are just like people to me. Each one is different and has its own personality."
He runs the Parent-child Farmhouse in Liangzhu Culture Village, Yuhang District in Hangzhou and rents small plots of land to people who want to grow their own fruit or vegetables.
He also has a microblog on sina.com. The account is called Plant Sishu and is devoted to information and pictures about plants.
Zhang says he has more than 5,000 followers and that people write to him for advice about many issues relating to plants. In some cases he even helps those who are poisoned by plants.
In one incident, a child in Guangdong Province mistakenly ate a toxic plant. The child's parents posted a picture of the plant on Plant Sishu, and Zhang says he provided the plant's scientific name and assisted doctors in judging its toxicity. It turned out the plant was breynia fruticosa, which can harm the liver if ingested by humans.
Zhang says he chose the name Plant Sishu because in Chinese the characters sishu mean private school. He teaches children basic knowledge about botany at his farmhouse along with running the microblog.
Zhang says he started up the farmhouse in 2011, when he rented 2 hectares of land and built a greenhouse, cottages, vegetable fields, ponds and more. He grows organic food and leases out plots on his "Happy Farm." Each plot with 16 square meters is charged for 160 yuan (US$25.70) per month. Customers are free to grow whatever they want on their patch of land.
"The guests cover three types of people. First, there are old people who previously lived in the countryside but now reside in the city. They enjoy picking up farm tools again and relieving the tedium of urban life," Zhang says.
"The second type are people who once lived in rural areas and farmed in their childhood. In order to recall their childhood, they come here and do a little farming.
"Finally there are parents who bring their kids here to experience village life and learn more about nature," Zhang adds.
No matter who his customers are and why they are there, Zhang is very particular about one thing - chemical fertilizers and pesticides are forbidden.
"Anyone who is found using such fertilizers will be expelled," Zhang says. "This is clearly recorded in our contracts."
He says almost 80 families have rented plots this year.
"In the summer days, the vegetables grown on these small plots can meet a family's daily requirements. If they have no time to take care of their vegetables on work days, we offer help."
Zhang employs six people to help run the farmhouse.
Zhang Yaying, 23, is a gardener in the greenhouse, where the temperature is much higher than outside. She takes care of the potted plants.
The horticulture major says working in the farmhouse makes good use of her knowledge while she also enjoys the quiet and peaceful surroundings of the countryside.
To Zhang Xinyu, this natural style of living suits him perfectly.
Zhang spent his teenage years living near Dabie Mountain in Anhui Province. The area is famous for its lush vegetation and steep hills. He says its beauty left a deep impression and made him fall in love with nature.
"Once upon a time, people were close to nature. But now, high-tech equipment occupy people's lives, taking us away from nature. When kids ask us what's the name of a certain plant, most of us cannot answer. That's a shame," Zhang Xinyu says.
"I opened the farmhouse to help restore the relationship between humans and nature. Though it took me 300,000 yuan to open the farmhouse and the cost has still not been recouped, I believe more and more people will come here," Zhang Xinyu adds.
He and his workers plant vegetables, trees, flowers and other greenery according to the season. Nowadays, the rape flowers and crab apple blossoms are thriving, while radishes and green vegetables are being harvested.
Last year, they harvested 150 kilograms of pears and used them to make 10 kilograms of pear juice without any artificial additives. They sold the juice for 138 yuan per 200 milliliters. Despite the high price, the pear juice sold out.
"The current food safety issues have made some people prefer organic food," Zhang Xinyu says. "These days the radishes have been pickled and are ready for people to buy."
The farmhouse also welcomes groups to hold barbecues and other events. He says some customers have suggested he add a restaurant, but Zhang Xinyu says he is not interested because he doesn't want it to spoil the tranquil environment.
In his spare time, Zhang enjoys drawing pictures of flowers and plants.
Summing up the importance of plants in his life, he says, "Plants are just like people to me. Each one is different and has its own personality."
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