Feng Leping, deputy to the National people's Congress: a guide to getting rich in watermelon fields.

Feng Leping (first from left) introduces watermelon handicrafts.

When it comes to Feng Leping's name, not many people may be familiar with it. But when it comes to watermelons in Panggezhuang, Daxing, Beijing, I believe many people will give a thumbs up. Feng Leping is the "man behind the scenes" who made Panggezhuang watermelons famous in the north and south of the river. Feng Leping is known as "Daxing female melon king" and "melon planting king". She is not only the "leader" in promoting the development of watermelon industry in Panggezhuang, but also the "guide" for Panggezhuang villagers to rush to a good day.

Never forget the original ideal and ambition all the way.

Thirty years ago, Feng Leping was a government worker. A grass-roots civil servant with an "iron rice bowl" has caught up with the era of "going to the sea", and energetic people like Feng Leping are destined to "go to the sea" to become a "tide rider". "it's because of your character. At that time, there was an impulse, that is, the determination to go to sea. Our generation coincides with the era of Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening up. At that time, there were still a lot of people going to sea, and I was one of them. I am not willing to do more routine work in the government day after day. "

Thirty years ago, I had a chance to work in the government, but I resigned and went to sea. "everyone around me went crazy, so I thought there was something wrong with this person. It is enviable to work in the government in the 1980s. People thought the kid must be a little crazy and didn't know what he wanted to do. " Feng Leping said that at that time, the family did not understand, and there was a sense of "collapse". Later, Feng Leping adopted the method of "curve to save the nation". "I convinced my wife. One of us is in the government and the other is in the supply and marketing system. If I go to sea, I need someone to go with me, and we both resign and go to sea. In retrospect, it is the courage of youth. In their twenties and thirties, they still have to pursue something if they want to realize their own value. "

Feng Leping recalled that what really touched him was two pieces of news he read in the newspaper in 1992: Shandong apples sold for a high price through packaging and listing, and Shunyi Beiwu got a good profit from growing greenhouse watermelons. When he was idle, Feng Leping went to Shandong and Shunyi to learn lessons. What she learned from there is to pack products in different levels and make full use of technology. And Panggezhuang is still the traditional sales model: after the melon is ripe, push a cart to the street to sell, the good and bad are piled together, sell good for a few cents, not good for a few cents. Although Panggezhuang is poor, it has unique natural conditions for growing melons. Feng Leping realized that all the people in the village were guarding a "golden rice bowl", but he was backward in consciousness and didn't know how to make the "golden rice bowl" produce money.

Feng Leping recalls that the hardest thing about starting a business was that there was no capital. "I started my family. I said I have the ability to sell, all of you can plant watermelons. I told the big story, but to be honest, I really don't have any money. " "when the wind was blowing, I went everywhere to borrow money. I went back to my mother's house to borrow money. The Don gave me his own pocket money. Later, the newspaper reported the matter, saying that Lao Feng had brought her father and her family's money. My wife was anxious to hear this, saying that I didn't do it like this. " In the spring of 1993, Feng Leping set up the first watermelon shed in Panggezhuang with the capital of 6000 yuan collected by his family.

Feng Leping displays tourist souvenirs of watermelon dolls.

When the funds are solved, the products are solved, and sales is also a difficult problem in front of Feng Leping. After the watermelons in the greenhouse matured in the first year, Feng Leping imitated the practice of the Beiwu people, pushed the precocious watermelons to the side of the road and had the courage to sell them for more than 1 yuan per jin, and the sales effect was good. Later, it was simply sold on a case-by-case basis, and the big melons cost more than ten or more than twenty yuan each. That year, Feng Leping made a net profit of 7000 yuan with a shed of watermelons.

Feng Leping also encountered a lot of difficulties on the road of sales. "We sell our own products and go into various units to knock on other people's doors, and we feel very helpless. At first I was driving a bicycle, then I was riding a bike, and then I was driving a noodle. Later, he was driving a car again. Now there is the Internet. These experiences are unforgettable to this day. "

Referring to the young people who are now on the road to starting a business, Feng Leping still thinks that they must think about it when they want to achieve a career. When you make up your mind, do it while you are young.

From small to big Panggezhuang Happiness Road is sailing

Feng Leping is now the chairman of Beijing Leping West muskmelon professional cooperative. According to her, the co-operative used to be made up of only six farmers, all of whom were her own relatives. "I was a daughter-in-law in my twenties and thirties at that time, and people thought the child was a little unreliable. So I organized my family to work together at that time. "

For two years in a row, Feng Leping's watermelons have been sold at good prices, and their income has also increased. "at that time, my family simply became a popular household outside the village, and I became the focus of attention. I was so busy that I was busy all day long. In spite of this, I was secretly happy because I saw the dawn of wealth for the people in the village. Since then, more and more farmers have come to me to grow watermelons in the greenhouse, from six at the beginning to more than a dozen, dozens and hundreds. "

Feng Leping gave praise to the Voice of Youth.

Feng Leping has been rooted among farmers since the day she started her business, and it is her greatest wish to help her fellow villagers get rich. "my father is a veteran party member, and he often says that my getting rich is the result of the support of the villagers." Feng Leping told the reporter that her father wrote her eight words: seek survival through quality and aim at enriching the people. She used these eight words as a motto to measure herself in front of the door of the cooperative.

It is understood that the Leping Cooperative not only pursues economic benefits, but also helps more than 10 poor families every year to solve practical difficulties and embark on the road of prosperity in major watermelon producing areas such as Beizang Village and Yucai Town in Panggezhuang. Led by our club, 53% of the contracted households' income exceeded the local average.

After the establishment of professional cooperatives, Feng Leping said that the biggest change was that farmers felt organized. The original disorderly operation has changed. "now the biggest improvement is that they realize that agriculture can have brands, agriculture can also have packaging, and they can put on clothes. Now our product is a series. Products have brands, we have specialty stores and e-commerce. Tied together to form a community of interests, we can see hope. "

Good quality is the advantage of Panggezhuang watermelons, but in Feng Leping's view, their watermelons have to take the road of innovation in order to continue to take the lead. Feng Leping told reporters that compared with the past, the biggest change is still in the technology of growing melons. "traditionally, watermelons grow on the ground, but now watermelons grow on trees. The original melons grew on the ground on their stomach, but now they grow on their feet. The original melons grew flat, but now they grow on the stalks. " Not only that, Feng Leping also led the staff to develop watermelons into an industry that can be picked and picked, and took advantage of the wings of "Internet +" to sell them on the Internet.

The life of the villagers in Panggezhuang has changed for the better, but Feng Leping has a bigger goal: to build this industrial belt into China's watermelon Expo Park, "can not only pick, sightseeing and experience, but also integrate with multi-industries." We have set a three-year goal to be more international and highly integrated. The traditional watermelon industry will be integrated with the cultural industry, real estate, finance and Internet industries to create a whole industry chain of watermelons. "