In a cultivation area operated by Zhejiang Longyou Yingxin Agricultural Development Company — based in Longyou county in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, rows of huangjing plants flourish among the lush bamboo groves, ready for harvest.
Qiu Bingsheng, the company's head, explained that huangjing, which is also known as Polygonatum sibiricum and is a prized traditional Chinese medicinal herb, requires a lengthy growth cycle of five to seven years, with quality and value increasing the longer it grows.
Longyou county, known as the "Hometown of Bamboo in China", offers the perfect humus-rich soil for the cultivation of huangjing.
Rows of huangjing plants flourish in the lush bamboo groves. [Photo/Tide News]
In 2014, Qiu leased 45.33 hectares of forest to plant huangjing. Collaborating with the Zhejiang Forestry Science Research Institute, they developed a co-culture farming system for bamboo groves and huangjing, achieving yields of up to 22,500 kilograms per hectare. Unique non-woven "pots" in the cultivation areas suppress weeds and boost survival rates to 95 percent.
By 2021, Qiu established a 1,200-square-meter processing facility, investing 1.6 million yuan ($222,657) in equipment to process huangjing for over 1,333 hectares of local growers. The traditional processing and manufacturing method preserves the herb's flavor and nutrients, despite higher costs.
Longyou county's strategic focus on under-forest economies has expanded cultivation of native medicinal herbs, creating a sustainable model that integrates agriculture and industry, with an annual output of 180 million yuan.
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