In the late Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, Shen Wenlan, a young man in western Hunan, discovered wild tung oil trees in the mountains. He relied on what he learned from "Tiangong Kaiwu" and combined with carpentry skills to successfully squeeze out the first barrel of gold oil. Faced with extortion by bandits and oppression from his tribe, he determined to turn this "wild oil" into "gold liquid", open up the Youshui trade route, and sell it as far away as Hankou. He vowed to lead the people of Maxipu out of poverty and let the light of tong shine in western Hunan.
