Sowing seeds for success
By : Kim Ng
Alumnus Mr Wong Yu-wing appreciates the value of different coloured vegetables. The organic farm he runs in Yuen Long yields not only an impressive variety of produce – dozens of different kinds of vegetables in fact – his crop doesn’t lack for colour, either. The cauliflowers alone come in three shades: white, yellow and purple.
“Some of my vegan customers look to the different colours of some vegetables for their required nutrition,” he said. He even launched an app for selecting seasonal produce with the help of fellow CityU alumni.
Although his farm is a bit remote, located at Tai Kong Po in Pat Heung, he supports carbon reduction and refuses to drive, opting instead for the MTR and his bicycle for his daily commute; and as an organic farmer, he resists the use of chemical pesticides, and subsequently spends a lot of time and energy thwarting pests.
During his childhood, his parents made a living out of growing vegetables in Tai Kong Po. Whereas his eight brothers and sisters would help with the weeding and harvesting, he would shirk his duties as often as possible.
Seeing his parents sweating away in the fields all year long without a break, he was determined to become an engineer. However, unknowingly, his parents had already sown the seeds of agriculture deep in his heart.
Following his desired path, Mr Wong studied electronic engineering at CityU in the early 1990s. During his studies, he joined the taekwondo club, having first seen the sport while watching the Seoul Olympic Games on TV. He found the sport similar to farming.
“Both demand heavy labour that doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere but eventually is rewarding!” he said. “Crops take time to grow and practicing sport doesn’t immediately translate into awards. But, finally, you get a great sense of satisfaction when people eat your crops and your team wins,” he said.
“Tilling the land may not necessarily yield a great harvest, but I have learned that the chance of a good crop increases if you put in more effort.” After graduation, Mr Wong fulfilled his dream of not working in the field. He served at one time as a general manager for a Taiwanese audio electronics company that employed more than 1,000 workers. However, he came to realise that his late father’s work had provided much greater support for society. He started to think along these lines when concerns about the hazards of pesticides began to surface after 2010.
So he resigned from his well-paid job and returned to his family’s farm. Although he had tried to avoid farm work as a child, he now felt he could contribute to the well-being of society.
In truth, his mother hadn’t really wanted him to work in the field, but she was so moved by his decision that she even took up the hoe again having already retired. After some time, his sister, brother-in-law and nephew also responded to his “calling” and today seven family members from three generations run the farm.
“The life we lead is good. In the past when my father worked in the field, my mother would bring him lunch and all the family members would chat away. So we are not materially wealthy, but we have a rich life as a happy family. I wish to protect that sense of intimacy that the farmland gives us,” he said.
Mr Wong not only maintains his father’s mission for farming, he also upholds CityU’s spirit of taekwondo. He has coached CityU’s taekwondo team and the taekwondo club three to four evenings each week after work for over 20 years.
“My upper body toils in the field during the day, while my lower part works hard at CityU in the evening. It helps balance my body!” he said.
Under Mr Wong’s tutelage, CityU’s taekwondo team won the women’s championship, the men’s first runner-up and the overall championship in the 2017/18 competitions organised by the University Sports Federation of Hong Kong, China.
But farming has taught him to be circumspect. The final decision for a bountiful harvest often rests with Heaven.
“Tilling the land may not necessarily yield a great harvest, but I have learned that the chance of a good crop increases if you put in more effort,” he said.
