It's not uncommon among Chinese, if someone mentions Northeast China, for their first thought to be of ginseng, martens, and deer antlers, especially in relation to human health and where the pursuit of good health has caused the antler industry in the city of Changchun, Jilin province, to become the major source of the stuff.

Processed antlers in the city of Changchun, Jilin province [Photo by Liu Xiao/ China Daily]

The city's Shuangyang district has a 300-year history of raising the sika deer and, in 1990, its antler business got a first place at the National Science and Technology Progress awards and it has kept moving ahead since then, claiming 20 other national awards and becoming a national sika deer pilot zone in 2014.

The district now has over 12,000 households in the business, and managing 220,000 deer, or 30 percent of the entire country's herds. It has 38 deer product processing companies, producing 130 types of medicines, health care products, and beverages, which do well in South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and some Western European countries. It produces 155 tons of antler and 2,500 tons of deer products annually, bringing in 250 million yuan ($40 million) in revenues.

Deer farm in the city of Changchun, Jilin province [Photo by Liu Xiao/ China Daily]

To create a large antler brand, the local government and enterprises have held a sika deer festival since 2014, bringing large crowds of tourists interested in health care products, and business overseas and Zhang Shimin, chairman of the city's Changlong Deer Co, says that this year's sales are up 10 percent from last year.

Industry personnel are also looking at cooperation with research institutes and universities for further development. Liu Qiang, the district head, says they have research contracts with Jilin University, the Zuojia Product Research Institute, and a Singapore lab for more research on dietary supplements.