Mushroom mania fuels tourism innovation

Mushroom land

Wild mushroom growth requires specific conditions such as altitude, light, humidity and vegetation. They often grow in multidimensional climates with complex topography at an altitude of 2,000 to 4,000 meters, such as the pine forests of Yunnan. Different geographical environments bring out diversity in wild mushroom species.

To find a suitable tour route, "Youyunnan" needed to consider factors such as the local environment and transportation convenience. Their tours shouldn't interrupt the mushroom collection schedule of the locals.

After multiple surveys, they managed to find ideal wild mushroom picking routes in Kunming's Panlong district, Jinning and Anning counties, and Chuxiong Yi autonomous prefecture.

Nanhua county in Chuxiong meets the above conditions. Its varying topography gives it a landscape characterized by rolling hills and vast forests. It is the reason why it has developed its mushroom tourism industry and is held as an example for other counties in Yunnan.

In terms of climate, the annual average temperature in Nanhua is around 15 C, with rainfall of 831 millimeters every year. The average annual sunshine duration is approximately 2,440 hours, local authority said. These figures indicate a relatively favorable climate to agricultural activities and tourism.

Due to these conditions, Nanhua boasts more than 290 kinds of edible wild mushrooms, accounting for 31.2 percent of China's total edible mushroom species. In 2022, about 11,100 metric tons of mushrooms were traded in Nanhua and its total output value reached 5.291 billion yuan ($726 million).

On August 4, Nanhua hosted a ten-day mushroom culture festival. Ethnic music and dance were performed and mushroom cultural products were displayed, attracting 135,900 tourists. The festival's revenue reached 120 million yuan.

Thanks to modern transportation facilities, wild mushrooms from Nanhua can be transported to Shenzhen, Guangdong province within 12 hours. From there, they are exported to more than twenty countries and regions.

"Young people who live in some of the destinations we offer want to cooperate with us, hoping to lead tourists to their mountains to pick mushrooms and pay a small fee to local farmers in return. This way, we can promote the local farmers' produce and increase their income, allowing local residents to share the benefits of the developing tourism industry," Xu added.