KUNMING, July 8 (Xinhua) — As daybreak’s mild filtered by means of mist-shrouded pines within the rain-freshened woods behind Tanglangding Village in Shangri-La City, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Zhang Jianhong moved with practiced silence.
Armed solely with a basket and a wood stick, the seasoned forager scanned the thick carpet of pine needles beneath historic timber. His skilled eyes rapidly revealed the prize: 5 pristine matsutake mushrooms nestled within the forest ground.
Shangri-La, a reputation synonymous with earthly paradise, yields an astonishing bounty of this world treasure, with a yearly manufacturing quantity of 800 to 1,500 tonnes. These high-altitude forests produce 65 % of matsutake output in Yunnan, a province that accounts for a staggering 40 % of China’s whole output.
Global demand is insatiable, with Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) main the cost. In each 2023 and 2024, annual exports destined for Japan alone neared 15 million yuan (about 2.1 million U.S. {dollars}).
“We’ve agreed on community rules,” defined Zhang. “We carefully refill the soil where each mushroom is picked. And we harvest only the mature ones, between 9 and 12 centimeters.” Younger mushrooms are left to develop, seed and maintain future harvests.
The village financial cooperative sends each single freshly picked matsutake to an area agricultural operations administration firm, which in return, gives a premium worth of 5 % above the market fee.
Thanks to the corporate’s funding, drones patrol the conservation zones, whereas infrared thermal imaging routinely displays forest well being. These refined instruments allow exact ecological intervention, balancing elevated yield with long-term sustainability.
“We integrate modern eco-technology to protect the environment while boosting the villagers’ income,” stated Zhang Yi, the corporate’s deputy common supervisor.
Across Diqing prefecture, which administers Shangri-La, 5 matsutake conservation bases now span 25,000 mu (about 1,667 hectares).
“We promote conscious stewardship and reduce reckless harvesting,” stated Zhang Yangbin, deputy director of Diqing’s agriculture and rural affairs bureau.
Time is the final word take a look at for these forest gems. Thanks to a state-of-the-art chilly chain, Zhang Yi stated that inside China, they ship throughout provinces in seven hours, reaching 264 cities inside 24 hours, and Japan and the ROK in simply 36 hours.