A woman from rural China has astonished netizens by taking part in 26 pig-catching competitions in a single year, successfully catching 22 pigs with her bare hands, including one that weighed 73kg.
The woman’s fear was revealed during a recent rural fun sports event in Majiang county, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou province, southern China.
Wen Fengqin, 31, attracted attention after she successfully caught a 38kg pig in a pig-catching competition and took it home.
According to local officials, such agricultural competitions are regularly organised for local farmers.
The pig-catching contest is a crowd favourite, with separate categories for women and children. The lucky participant who manages to catch the animal gets to take it home as a prize.
Wen is known locally as a “pig-catching expert”.
According to a viral video, during the competition, a group of women raced towards a pig standing in the middle of a field.
As the animal panicked and tried to flee, Wen, dressed in red, surged ahead.
After several attempts, she managed to pin the struggling swine down.
Wen then lifted the pig into her arms and walked off the field, cheered on by the crowd.
On December 28, Wen told Jimu News that she is a native of Majiang.
During her school years, she excelled in sports such as basketball and shot put and also enjoyed running and tug of war.
As a result, to her, catching pigs is no big deal.
This year alone, she has taken part in 26 local pig-catching competitions and successfully caught 22 pigs: the largest weighing about 73 kilograms and the smallest around 25 kilograms.
Wen said that her pig-catching technique all comes down to speed.
“You have to be fast. Run up to it, pin it down and do not let go. Wait until it stops struggling, then pick it up and carry it to the finish line. That is the only way it counts as yours. If you let it go halfway and it runs off, it belongs to someone else,” she said.
Her most memorable moment was with the 73kg pig, which took a group of people half an hour to chase down, but she was the one who finally pinned it.
“The pig was too heavy. The organisers did not even require us to carry it to the finish line, just lifting it for five seconds would count. I ended up holding it for more than 20 seconds.”
Of the 22 pigs she caught this year, most have been kept in her own pigpen, except for a few she gave away. Some have already been sold after being fattened up, but she still has 10 pigs at home and her pigpen is full.
For this Lunar New Year, she plans to slaughter one to make cured meat and treat her relatives and friends to the fruits of her “battles”.
Wen has amazed and shocked many people online.
One person said: “She started by catching pigs and ended up becoming a fully fledged pig farmer.”
Another added: “She has got grit. It is not just about strength, you can tell she has the mindset too.” - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
