In what may be the strangest story we’ve seen from China, gaming giant NetEase, known for publishing Blizzard’s titles in the country, has unveiled plans to establish a new pig farm in the city of Fenghua with the capacity to produce 100,000 pigs a year.

The company raised $22 million in their last round of funding in 2017 for the project, run under the affiliated brand Weiyang. It initially started as a hobby and has quickly secured a strong foothold in the market between its current three farms in Shengzhou, Jiangxi, and Shaoxing.

The newest farm in Fenghua is a rather personal one. The city is his hometown and will likely see dozens if not hundreds of jobs generated there.

Bringing Home the Bacon

The NetEase pig farm, reported by Yicai Global, is the fourth one established by the company’s founder Ding Lei since 2012. It looks to capitalize on the surging price of pork in the People’s Republic caused by an African swine fever epidemic sweeping the country and an increase in pork consumption across the East Asian state.

The new pig farm, according to the article, hopes to utilize modern practices and technologies to, “integrate breeding, plantation, display, and exchange [of the pigs].” It will include a home for the pigs with AI technology and Wi-Fi coverage built into it, along with a collection of music albums for them to listen to.

Also, the 485.7-hectare farm will include a bamboo forest and tea garden. Whether that’s for the pigs or Lei and his staff is currently unknown.

Isaac’s Personal Take

These are some of the most excellent accommodations I’ve ever seen for an animal, and honestly, they make me a little jealous.

Hopefully, these extra amenities improve the flavor of the pigs. I’ve always felt they lacked a little rock and roll in them.

Jokes aside, NetEase pig farms are strange to see out of a game company. But, it comes as no surprise if you’ve ever looked into East Asian conglomerates.

These companies often have hands in multiple different areas. Sony operates an insurance firm in addition to the usual tech and games it produces.

Chinese firms are no different in their operations. But, it still seems weird that they’d get into pig farming of all things, even if it’s their CEO’s hobby.

Between this and recent pig farm hotels, it looks like everyone is trying to get in on the pork farming game. We’ll have to see if NetEase’s biggest competitor, Tencent, gets in on the action anytime soon.