Coptis Chinensis, chili pepper, and honey stand for bitterness, spiciness, and sweetness, and this is what we feel in life. It is these three unremarkable but everyday things that have changed the lives of the people in Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County, Chongqing. In recent years, by taking full advantage of local ecological resources, the county has vigorously developed modern high-efficiency agriculture with mountainous characteristics, successfully lifting itself out of poverty.
Coptis Chinensis, a new pillar industry for Shizhu overcoming poverty
This is a photo taken on April 8 of a Chinese herbal medicine field developed in the gully of Zhongyi Town, Shizhu County, Chongqing, by drones. Photo by Liu Chan/Xinhua News.
Located deep in Wuling Mountain, Shizhu County is featured with high mountains, deep ditches, and fragmentary land. In the past, farmers here planted sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn for eking out a meager existence.
Since the poverty eradication campaign, Shizhu has re-recognized the value of the mountain: a great ecological environment and lush mountain vegetation. Moreover, the mountain is home to Chinese herbal medicines such as Coptis Chinensis, which makes it a perfect herbal medicine base. Since 2017, traditional Chinese medicine has been listed as a new pillar industry in the county and has been fully expanded.
There are more than 38km2 of Coptis Chinensis planted in Shizhu, with the annual output accounting for 60%
domestically and 40% globally. The most prominent national trading center for Coptis Chinensis has also been established here. In 2019, the output value of Coptis Chinensis was 365 million yuan, creating the average income of over 30,000 yuan for 1,050 poor households each.
Local chili pepper became popular all over the country
Shizhu keeps its tradition of planting chili pepper. However, it didn’t have a reputation for producing chili pepper in the past. Things changed after 2000 when industrialization began. “It requires painstaking efforts to develop the chili pepper industry,” said Tan Jianlan, who stepped into the industry a dozen years ago, due to her keen insight on the huge demand for chili pepper in the catering industry such as hotpot. By cooperating with many farmers, the planting area was quickly expanded to 10km2. In 2008, the chili pepper had a bumper harvest, but its price fell sharply. Due to the lagging processing and the lack of freezers, hundreds of tons of chili pepper rotted away, causing a loss of more than 600,000 yuan.
In 2019, the chili pepper of Sanhong Cooperative covered an area of about 13km2, with an annual production value of 120 million. Photo by Liu Chan/Xinhua News.
In this case, Tan began to build freezers, embarked on deep processing, and cooperated with research institutions to cultivate new products. In 2019, the chili pepper of Sanhong Cooperative covered an area of about 13km2, with an annual production value of 120 million.
Besides that, Tan established poverty eradication files for poverty families who joined the Cooperative. She set
up the minimum standard for collecting chili pepper, profit-sharing mechanism, and wage rate. About 667-square-meter chili pepper can generate an income of 4,000-5,000 yuan. All the needy families in her Cooperative were lifted out of poverty last year.
Honey makes life better and sweeter
In Huaxi Village, Zhongyi Township, behind Tan Dengzhou’s house, many bees are busy on pear flowers, canola flowers, and sophora flowers. Photo by Liu Chan/Xinhua News.
The forest coverage rate of Shizhu is as high as 71.3%. In spring and summer, the mountain is covered flowers. Therefore, many farmers develop the habit of keeping scoliids.
By taking the opportunity, in the past two years, Shizhu has planted large-scale honey-based Chinese herbal medicines and cultivated leading processing enterprises, making honey another source of increasing income for the poor.
In Huaxi Village, Zhongyi Township, behind Tan Dengzhou’s house, many bees are busy on pear flowers, canola flowers, and sophora flowers. “At the beginning of the year, the honey factory in the county sent five barrels of Chinese honeybees for free.” The 63-year-old Tan was included in the list of poverty families due to a fall injury the year before last. For more income, he was recommended to join the low labor-intensive beekeeping industry. “With the guidance of technicians and minimum collecting standards, I can earn additional thousands of yuan for a year.”