It is still early spring in southwestern China's Guizhou province, but the forest in Zhegui village is already filled with vitality: oak trunks covered with orchid-like stalks, with branches swaying in the breeze.
"They're the tiepishihu (dendrobium officinale), a valuable Chinese herbal medicine," said Ruan Jian, deputy manager of Anlong Xicheng Xiushu Agriculture and Forestry. "Zhegui village has sufficient forest coverage, with proper altitude and climatic conditions, which is very suitable for growing imitation wild dendrobium."
"We grow high-quality dendrobium without sabotaging the ecological environment, allowing the villagers to make a living from the mountains," said Ruan, who introduced the medicinal herb to the forest after a thorough investigation.
For a long time, transportation difficulties meant the landlocked village could not capitalize on its unique ecological advantage. Growing dendrobium officinale was something villagers, including 44-year-old Chen Jian, had never thought of.
"All the oaks are 'cash cows' now," Chen said. "Natural forests cannot be cut, so we did nothing but protect them in the past. Ever since the dendrobium were 'planted' on the tree trunks, the green hills that we have kept for decades have turned into gold."
Chen, who worked outside of Guizhou for many years, now works in the village as a manager of the dendrobium planting base.
