“Golden Grass” Supports Livelihoods in a Northern Chinese Town

It is late autumn in Liutiaozhai, a small town in Dengta City, Liaoning Province, in northern China. Grower Fan Chaolong smiles as he checks the temperature inside his greenhouse. “Look how well these scarlet caterpillar fungi are growing,” he says. “As long as we keep the temperature and humidity right, this year’s crop is sure to be of good quality.”

On racks reaching up to the greenhouse roof, dense clusters of orange-yellow fruiting bodies sprout from wheat grains. This is scarlet caterpillar fungus, known locally as “golden grass.” The crop took root in Liutiaozhai more than a decade ago. Today, the town has 369 temperature-controlled greenhouses built to standard specifications for its cultivation. Last year, the industry generated a total output value of CNY 450 million, helping farmers increase their incomes through activities across the value chain. Liutiaozhai is now one of China’s largest centers for cultivating, processing, and supplying scarlet caterpillar fungus.

Staff from the power supply station check electrical safety inside a greenhouse

Inside each greenhouse, systems for temperature control, humidification, supplemental lighting, and ventilation run around the clock. Even a brief interruption can leave an entire greenhouse’s crop damp and spoiled, causing real financial losses for growers.

As more greenhouses have been built each year and drying equipment has been upgraded, demand for electricity has risen. The local power utility has upgraded 65.761 kilometers of 10-kilovolt lines and installed 15 new dedicated transformers with a combined capacity of 3,700 kVA. The town’s power supply capacity has increased from 40,000 kVA to 103,000 kVA, about 2.6 times its previous level.

Since the start of autumn, staff from the local power supply station have been going from greenhouse to greenhouse with tool bags slung over their shoulders, measuring electrical currents, checking connections, and recording temperatures. Crouching in front of distribution boxes, they log each problem they identify and fix whatever they can on the spot. When an issue cannot be resolved immediately, they work with growers to find a solution and address it as quickly as possible.

Staff from the power supply station visit greenhouses

This autumn, Fan wanted to add a few more greenhouses. To his surprise, before he had a chance to visit the customer service center to apply for an increase in power supply capacity, staff from the local power supply station came to see him. They calculated the electrical load based on his expansion plans, assessed the routing of power lines, and clearly explained the proposed arrangements in a single visit. “I was planning to go to the power supply station when I had some free time to ask about arranging the electricity supply. I didn’t expect them to come to me and think everything through for me in advance,” says Fan.

Lyu Gang, head of the Xueshanfeng Edible Mushroom Farm in Dengta City, explained that the workshop’s drying equipment must run around the clock so that fresh scarlet caterpillar fungus can be fully dehydrated in one uninterrupted cycle and meet the required standards for the dried product. Adequate production capacity and good product quality help ensure a reliable income.