Cheng Yunlu sent his son to the United Kingdom to study hoping he would return to a decent white-collar job.

Raising pigs with toys and playing music in sties have become popular among some farmers.

However, the father's hopes turned to anger and despair when his son, Cheng Gong, decided to raise pigs on his return four years ago.

"We spent all our savings on his education for what? To raise pigs? What should we tell our friends and neighbors?" Cheng Yunlu, the father said. He is popular musician in Liaocheng city, Shandong province.

It was a tough period for Cheng Gong, now 34, a graduate in international business management, Surrey University.

"Overnight, I become a rebel and a mad man," he said.

The idea of raising pigs was nurtured when Cheng visited farms in the UK and learned many innovative techniques.

"I found that many of the techniques could be adopted in China as well," he said.

Cheng devised his own method of "raising happy pigs", to improve the quality of them.

In the early days the going was tough. He had no workers to help him, and for 114 days he slept only four hours a day until his first litter of piglets were born.

To increase their survival rate after weaning, Cheng gave them toys to play with. He massaged the pregnant ones to relieve their pain during labor.

"We discovered piglets like to play with colorful balls. They build up a very healthy appetite.

"Giving them toys has also proved useful in helping them avoid unruly behavior," Cheng said.

His method has been approved by animal husbandary experts Zhang Hongfu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said pigs in a happy, comfortable and healthy environment are less susceptible to disease.

Cheng said the government's tax-free policy toward pig farms helped him get through his initial financial difficulties.

Last year, Cheng sold some 6,000 pigs, earning more than 1 million yuan ($145,000).

He has extended his farm from 4 hectares to 25 and recently hired 10 more workers and bought five computers.

His success has now made his parents proud of him.

"My husband has gained his parents' respect, and that of his friends and neighbors," Wang Fang, Cheng's wife, said.

(China Daily May 7, 2008)