A Mushroom Weaves a Revitalization Path Through the Integration of Three Industries

The humble mushroom offers a vivid snapshot of how China's rural communities draw on local resources to explore diverse paths of sustainable development. In Qingfeng County, Henan Province — known as the "Hometown of Bailing Mushrooms in China" and home to China’s largest agrocybe aegerita production base — a complete industrial chain integrating cultivation, processing, cold-chain logistics, e-commerce and cultural tourism has taken shape, becoming a distinctive pillar of rural revitalization across the county.

In Zhaojia Village of Qingfeng County, rows of mushroom greenhouses stretch across the fields. Step inside, and you're greeted by a warm, earthy mushroom aroma. Rooted in the village, Henan Fengxun Biotechnology Co., Ltd. — a key player in the local mushroom industry — harvests tea tree mushrooms from its 300 greenhouses in succession, keeping supply uninterrupted all year round.

"We ship 30 metric tons daily, and more than 70 percent of the tea tree mushrooms sold at Beijing's Xinfadi market come from here," said Wei Fuqing, head of the company. Beyond supplying fresh mushrooms directly to large agricultural produce markets across China, the company has extended its industrial chain, building a deep-processing workshop that processes mushrooms into ready-to-eat items including tremella fuciformis soup, further raising their added value.

"These mushroom greenhouses are the villagers' 'moneybags,'" Wei said.

Statistics show that Qingfeng County now has more than 8,000 mushroom greenhouses covering 17 million square meters, growing 17 specialty mushroom varieties and producing 430,000 metric tons of fresh mushrooms annually. The industry's combined output value has exceeded 3.5 billion yuan, providing stable employment for 78,000 people.

The county's exploration has not stopped at growing and selling farm produce. Building on its mushroom industry, Qingfeng has promoted the integration of agriculture, culture and tourism, joining hands with Zhongqing Bona to create the "Mushroom Lights Up" project in Zhaojia Village — China's first demonstration project themed on a mushroom IP that integrates agriculture with tourism and industry with village development. Since its opening, the project has welcomed 650,000 visitors and generated 90 million yuan in combined revenue, extending the mushroom industry from farm fields to cultural tourism consumption scenarios.

From greenhouse cultivation, deep processing and cold-chain storage to the operation of the "Mushroom Lights Up" night tour, the orderly functioning of the whole chain rests on a reliable power supply. The local State Grid Puyang Power Supply Company, responding to the differentiated electricity needs of each link in the chain, has customized "one household, one policy" service plans.

During peak mushroom harvest and processing seasons, it increases inspection frequency for power distribution lines inspections to pinpoint potential overheating hazards in lines and joints.

During holiday visitor peaks, power supply personnel were stationed on site for special patrols and proactive monitoring, inspecting the electrical facilities of night-tour lighting. Meanwhile, the company keeps a 24-hour repair response channel open and improves the power supply supporting facilities for agritourism projects, using stable electricity to underpin the mushroom industry's full-chain upgrade from field production and intensive processing to tourism experiences. 

(By Xie Xuening, Lu Shasha)