Ripe wuweizi fruits are ready to be sold at the Erdaogou village, Sandaogou town in Northeast China's Jilin province, Sept 26, 2023.

[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

With the arrival of autumn, wuweizi (Schisandra chinensis), a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient, enters its harvest season.

Recently, nearly 80 hectares of wuweizi in Erdaogou village, Sandaogou town of Northeast China's Jilin province, are ushering in a bumper harvest. Local farmers are bustling with activity, carefully picking the red ripe fruits that glisten among the lush green leaves.

Sandaogou, situated on the border between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is known as the "hometown of wuweizi" due to its significant production of this traditional Chinese medicine ingredient.

Villagers are busy harvesting wuweizi at the Erdaogou village, Sandaogou town in Northeast China's Jilin province, Sept 26, 2023. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wuweizi is a widely used Chinese medicinal component known for its benefits in promoting bodily fluids and soothing nerves. Many have found relief from sleeping disorders by consuming wuweizi tea before bedtime. In today's health-conscious society, wuweizi is increasingly favored by consumers for its health benefits. In 2022, its market size reached 3.57 billion yuan ($490 million), a year-on-year increase of 5.6 percent.

Decades ago, Erdaogou was a poverty-stricken village with a typical mountainous landform that offered little arable land and lacked any significant industry. Nestled along the Yalu River, however, Erdaogou features favorable climate conditions and soil quality for cultivating Chinese herbal medicines.

Ripe wuweizi fruits are ready to be sold at the Erdaogou village, Sandaogou town in Northeast China's Jilin province, Sept 26, 2023. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The village government has thus led local residents to cultivate wuweizi and has gradually expanded the scale of cultivation. Today, wuweizi stands as the main source of income for the villagers. In 2022, the village's cultivation area surpassed 1,200 mu (80 hectares), yielding up to 2.5 million kilograms annually.

Zhang Xiujuan, chairwoman of Erdaogou's women's federation, said, "Thanks to the diligent efforts of our farmers and effective management, we now have over 1,000 mu of wuweizi, with yields as high as 2,500 kilograms per mu. In recent years, the demand for wuweizi has led to excellent prices, which helps improve living standards and the construction of new homes for our villagers."

Villager Diao Deshan has been growing wuweizi for more than two decades. "In our village, with over 70 families, wuweizi has become a way of life. It's safe to say that everyone lives better lives through its cultivation."

With the arrival of autumn, wuweizi, a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient, enters its harvest season. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Ripe wuweizifruits are ready to be sold at the Erdaogou village, Sandaogou town in Northeast China's Jilin province, Sept 26, 2023. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]