A young Chinese woman who returned to her hometown to raise more than 60,000 venomous snakes and earns more than a million yuan (US$147,000) a year has caused astonishment online.

The woman, surnamed Qin, was born in 1995 and hails from Guilin in Guangxi province, southern China.

Two years after graduating from university, she returned to her village to help her father raise snakes.

She now manages more than 60,000 reptiles, including over 50,000 five-step snakes, a highly venomous species of pit viper, and nearly 10,000 cobras.

Qin said her father initially opposed her entering the industry, believing that it was too dangerous.

However, as the farm expanded and became too much for him to handle alone, she eventually stepped in to help.

“Five-step snakes have to be force-fed prepared food, and close contact with them still carries significant risks.”

“I am not really afraid of five-step snakes. My father has been raising them since before I was born,” she told Haibao News.

Qin explained that dried snake, snake gallbladders, and snake oil are all used in traditional medicine, while extracted venom is used in medical research.

Currently, each five-step snake can yield venom twice a month.

The venom sells for between 40 and 200 yuan (US$6 and US$30) per gram, depending on its quality. Snake meat sells for between 200 and 300 yuan per reptile, while larger ones can fetch more than 1,000 yuan (US$150).

After deducting labour and other costs, the business can generate an annual income of more than one million yuan.

Qin also shares her experiences and practical knowledge of snake breeding online under the name “The Girl Who Collects Snake Venom”, where she has amassed over 22,000 followers.

In several of her videos, she addresses frequently asked questions such as, “Are people who raise snakes not afraid of being bitten?”

She vividly describes the pain of a snakebite.

“If someone who raises snakes tells you they are not afraid of being bitten, there is only one possibility: they have never been bitten. Especially with the five-step snake, the main symptom after a bite is intense pain. Once you have experienced it, you will remember that pain for a year, or even a lifetime.”

“You might think that getting bitten on the hand only affects the hand, but in reality, your arm, shoulder and even half your body can be in pain. One of my followers said that after being bitten by a five-step snake, the pain was so unbearable they would rather undergo amputation than experience it again.”

Her experience has shocked many Chinese netizens.

One person said: “This is not money just anyone can earn. I thought it was just some harmless snakes. Then I looked closer, it is a five-step snake.”

Another added: “Respect. I feel uncomfortable just seeing snakes. She is incredibly brave and truly deserves to earn this money.”