Yeh Fu-chi, known as the "Cactus King" to inhabitants of his native Talien village in Changhua County in central Taiwan, agrees with this assessment. He has shown the same resilience as the plant he admires in cultivating cacti over the past 25 years.

The "Highway Park" located at Talien is known for its verdant forests of banyan, cypress, pine and fir trees. About 20 years ago, Yeh gave up his cactus hobby because of lack of demand and instead switched to raising bullfrogs, goldfish and chickens. But his bad luck continued when the fish and frogs were swept away in a typhoon and the chickens would not lay. A subsequent attempt to make paper cartons failed. But Yeh refused to give up, and bade his time even when his wife was forced to take up menial jobs to pay for the children's tuition fees.

Yeh recalled how his interest in cactus was kindled 30 years ago when one of his friends brought back the plants as gifts for him from Japan. His curiosity was further aroused when he discovered that the prickly plants would grow well in a sandy soil with good drainage and plenty of air and sunshine. When he discovered that the plants will also grow in a confined space, he decided that they had great potential as domestic decorations.

Once he determined on cactus growing as a career, Yeh asked his friend to mail seeds from Japan of some 2,000 different strains. After eliminating some inferior types, Yeh was left with 1,000 species, of which about 400 were suitable for mass production. At present, Yeh's farm produces some 60,000 plants a year, and this is due to be boosted to 100,000 in future.

Pointing out that it takes about 15 months for a cactus to reach maturity, Yeh said that age and size are the main factors in deciding a plant's value.

Apart from the flowers, the wide variety of shapes in which cacti come is a great lure for buyers. Some plants look like biscuits while others resemble mango stones. Perhaps most unusual is the "old man cactus" which has a shaggy coat of gray hair to protect it from the sun. This thornless cactus is a popular home decoration.

Through elaborate care, Yeh has been able to export his products to such countries as Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines and the Netherlands as well as supplying the local market. With their hardiness, small size and low fees for transportation, cacti are considered to have a promising future on world markets. Yeh is in the process of hiring trade and management talent to help him enlarge his business.

Though cactus thrives in inhospitable conditions, it needs special care and attention for mass production. To prevent the plants from absorbing too much water and sunshine, they are usually cultivated in greenhouses. Because Yeh lacked the necessary capital, he had to protect his plants with transparent plastic sheeting. When a typhoon approaches, every member of Yeh's family helps with such measures as tying and binding.

Through his strong confidence and perseverance, Yeh has been able to make his cactus farm a success. Emotionally involved with the plant himself, Yeh charges that most people do not accord cactus the respect it deserves. He warns that despite its hardiness, it can be attacked by insects or wither if it is deprived of sunshine. "People should regard cacti with the same admiration as they do more orthodox plants and flowers," he said.