Gong Cai becomes cash cow in mountainous village in SW China's Yunnan

Farmers have been busy drying Gong Cai, a vegetable of the lettuce family, in Fakong village, a mountainous village in Majie township, Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Photo shows Gong Cai being dried in Fakong village, a mountainous village in Majie township, Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/Lyu Yuling)

"Gong Cai has become a lucrative source of income for local villagers," said Li Xiangguo, a former migrant worker with hand impairments who returned to the village and started his own business after being invited by the village's committee.

The production of dried Gong Cai per mu (1 mu is about 667 square meters) of land is around 120 kilograms, which translates into over 7,000 yuan (about $957.79) in income at a market price of 60 yuan per kilogram, said Li.

A farmer removes weeds on a Gong Cai field in Fakong village, a mountainous village in Majie township, Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/Lu Lihua)

With assistance from local government, Li has led farmers in Majie township to plant Gong Cai on over 450 mu of mountainous land.

Photo shows a Gong Cai field in Majie township, Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/Yang Yanan)

In recent years, Nanhua county has intensified efforts to develop the Gong Cai industry. In 2024, the county's Gong Cai planting area exceeded 7,000 mu, generating a total output value of more than 70 million yuan.

Yunnan Asia Food Co., Ltd., located in Nanhua county, has recently been collecting Gong Cai for processing. The company mainly produces canned vegetables and exports the products to Malaysia, Indonesia and beyond. According to Wu Guizheng, head of the company, the company has exported 75 tonnes of canned vegetables worth nearly 7 million yuan since it started production in June 2024.

Photo shows packaged vegetables produced by Yunnan Asia Food Co., Ltd., located in Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Cheng Hao)

Farmers dry Gong Cai strips in Majie township, Nanhua county, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/Lyu Yuling)