Qingyuan is recognized as the birthplace of artificially cultivated shiitake mushrooms in the world and is a significant hub for the production and distribution of edible fungi across China, earning it the title of ‘China’s City of Shiitake Mushrooms’. Since the Southern Song Dynasty, in the fourth year of Jianyan (1131 AD), when Wu Sangong, a farmer from Longyan Village in Qingyuan County, invented the ‘log flowering method’ for cultivating shiitake mushrooms, this technique has been secretly passed down among Qingyuan mushroom farmers for over 800 years. The phrase ‘Fragrant mushrooms fill the air, laughter light in the mushroom sheds, mountain treasures picked, baskets full’ depicts the scene of Qingyuan mushroom pickers during the harvest season. Qingyuan shiitake mushrooms are known for their delicious taste and refreshing aroma. According to the ‘Qingyuan County Chronicles’, when Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, established his capital in Nanjing, his chancellor Liu Bowen presented him with shiitake mushrooms. Intrigued by their fragrance, Zhu Yuanzhang found them crispy and tender upon tasting, and was so delighted that he ordered a regular supply, leading to shiitake mushrooms being regarded as ‘Imperial Court Delicacies’ by the people. Qingyuan shiitake mushrooms are renowned for their early history, high production, superior quality, and extensive market reach. In 2002, they were approved by the General Administration of Quality Supervision as a product of origin, receiving special protection, and standard production bases and organic shiitake mushroom production demonstration bases were established. Shiitake mushrooms, described as ‘textured like jade, aromatic and flavorful’, are rich in nutrients and have a unique taste, traditionally known as ‘the crown of all mushrooms, the king of vegetables’.
China’s City of Shiitake Mushrooms
Qingyuan is recognized as the birthplace of artificially cultivated shiitake mushrooms in the world and is a significant hub for […]
