Huaxi's huge under-forest fuling harvest fuels rural revival

Fuling is widely used for both food and medicinal purposes. [Photo/ddcpc website]

An under-forest fuling (poria) cultivation base at Mengguan State-owned Forest Farm in Huaxi district, Guiyang, was buzzing with activity on April 14. Over 40 workers were busy harvesting the fuling that had been planted last summer.

Moving steadily from the foothills up the slopes, these workers, mostly villagers from the surrounding countryside, serve as both growers and harvesters. Working here, they can earn a daily wage of over 100 yuan ($14.67).

Fuling is a wood-decay fungus in the Polyporaceae family. It is a staple of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and is widely used for both food and medicinal purposes year-round due to its versatile health benefits.

As a parasitic fungus, it grows on the roots of pine trees like the Masson pine, which is found in abundance across Guizhou province and serves as the primary host for local cultivation.

The cultivation project at Mengguan State-owned Forest Farm is part of Huaxi's ambitious "Three 10,000-mu (666.67 hectares)" initiative, which focuses on strawberries, chives, and the under-forest economy.

The district plans to develop 13,000 mu of under-forest fuling and a 10,000-square-meter TCM processing plant, aiming to transform the fuling industry into a major agricultural pillar.

In recent years, Huaxi has capitalized on its natural ecological advantages to merge environmental conservation with specialized industries. By following the path of "ecological industrialization and industrial ecologization", the district has seen impressive results.