Have you ever heard of "China's No. 1 Snake Village"? In Deqing County, Huzhou, Zhejiang, there is a small village of less than 1 square kilometer called Zisiqiao Village, which has a population of just over 800 but has raised more than 3 million snakes. All this change is due to a "snake king" named Yang Hongchang. When he was young, he suffered from illness and unexpectedly started his indissoluble bond with snakes through the advice of an old Chinese medicine doctor. Not only did he cure his own illness, but he also put the whole village on the road to prosperity. But what is it that makes an ordinary villager who is afraid of snakes become the king of snakes and lead the whole village to change their fate?
Back in the 70s of the last century, Zisiqiao Village was still a typical poor village, and the villagers lived a difficult life, and even the basic condiments needed to be exchanged for eggs. In this context, in 1973, 21-year-old Yang Hongchang fell into a desperate situation due to a sudden serious illness. It was a painful rheumatic disease that often caused him to suffer from unbearable back pain and lose his ability to work. The family relies on his elderly and weak parents to fish for the most basic livelihood, while his wife is also sick all the year round, and his two young children add to the burden of life.
Yang Hongchang, who had used up almost all his savings, sought medical treatment everywhere, but could not find hope for treatment. In desperation, an old Chinese medicine doctor from Shanghai gave him a piece of advice - "There are a lot of snakes on Mogan Mountain, can you try snake wine?" Although Yang Hongchang instinctively resisted out of his natural fear of snakes, he decided to give it a try when there was no way out of life.
Unexpectedly, this trial not only changed his fate, but also allowed him to discover a business opportunity. A few years later, he was pleasantly surprised to find that his illness had been significantly relieved. This made him wonder if snakes could cure diseases, could they improve their lives by catching and selling snakes?
From then on, he began the road of snake hunting. At first, the people in the village took a wait-and-see attitude, after all, at that time, people were full of uncertainty and risks about catching wild animals. But Yang Hongchang was not afraid of the difficulties and began to catch snakes in the mountains and sell snake meat and skins to those who needed them. Soon, there were fewer and fewer snakes in the area, which made him realize that if he just caught them, sooner or later he would face the depletion of snakes.
At this time, he came up with a bold idea - artificial snake breeding. Choosing the red snake as the breeding object, he bought more than 4,000 snake eggs to try. Due to a lack of experience and technology, the attempt almost ended in failure, with only a very small number of snake eggs hatching successfully. Still, this did not dampen Yang's determination. Through continuous learning and experimentation, he gradually found a set of effective snake breeding methods.
By the 80s of the last century, his snake farming business had matured, and Yang Hongchang gradually changed from an inconspicuous villager to a well-known "snake king". Not only did he succeed in curing his own illness, but he also began to bring unprecedented economic income to the village by selling snake meat, snake skin, and snake medicine. What's more, his success also led to snake farming throughout the village, and many villagers began to follow his example and raise snakes to get rich.
With the passage of time, Zisiqiao Village has become more and more famous, and it is known as "China's No. 1 Snake Village". Every year, there is a constant stream of tourists who come here to visit and buy snake products. Yang's business has also expanded from snake farming to snake medicine research and development and sales of health products. There are even rumors that the annual income is as high as tens of millions of yuan.
In the process, Yang Hongchang also became the leader and hero of the village. He was not only due to his wealth, but also because he changed the fate of the entire village. Even in his old age, the people of the village still looked for him as soon as they encountered a snake bite. His experience and wisdom have become a valuable asset in the village.
With the rise of snake farming has brought with it a series of problems and challenges. Environmental issues, wildlife protection, and how to scientifically and rationally develop snake farming have become new issues in front of Yang Hongchang and Zisiqiao Village. How to continue to develop the village's economy while ensuring ecological balance is a problem that Yang Hongchang and the villagers must face.
From an ordinary villager who was helpless due to illness to a "snake king" who changed the fate of the entire village, Yang Hongchang's story is not only a legend of personal struggle, but also a revelation about how to live in harmony with nature and develop scientifically. The story of Zisiqiao Village tells us that even the most unpromising beginnings can eventually blossom because of persistence and innovation. But it also reminds us that we should pay more attention to environmental protection and sustainable development in the pursuit of economic benefits. Today, Zisiqiao Village is not only a village for raising snakes, but also a vivid classroom for hope, challenges and the future.