Daylily brings prosperity to Datong in N China's Shanxi

A villager picks daylilies in the field in Tangjiabao village, Xiping town, Yunzhou district, Datong city, north China's Shanxi Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Chaoning)

Datong city, located in north China's Shanxi Province, is a major hub for daylily production, with a cultivation history spanning over 600 years. Tangjiabao village, in Xiping town of Yunzhou district, is one of the oldest and largest centers of daylily cultivation in the region.

"The daylilies are thriving this year. Just yesterday, they sold for 6.4 yuan per kilogram (about $0.9)," said Wu Bo, head of a daylily production and sales cooperative in Xiping town. He credited the strong growth to agricultural science and technology.

"Take a look. This is a smart agriculture monitoring system. It uses microclimate equipment and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to collect real-time data on weather and soil moisture. Based on the analysis, it helps coordinate tasks like weeding, fertilization, irrigation, and pest control, and even allows for the targeted application of organic fertilizer," said Wu.

Photo shows daylily products. (Photo courtesy of the information center of Yunzhou district)

Daweihuang Food Co., Ltd., based in Datong, operates the largest daylily processing facility in China, with a total investment of 120 million yuan. According to general manager Zheng Guiquan, the company's daylily cake became a bestseller as soon as it hit the market. He added that technicians from Guangzhou and Hong Kong have been brought in to help develop a wider range of innovative daylily products.

Photo shows daylily cakes developed by Daweihuang Food Co., Ltd. (Photo courtesy of Daweihuang Food Co., Ltd.)

Datong Sanli Group Agriculture Co., Ltd. has launched a range of products, including beer, tea, and soup packs made with daylilies and mushrooms.

"We've recently launched a new daylily variety which has been selling well on major e-commerce platforms. We've also partnered with leading industry brands to develop innovative products like a daylily and chicken sauce," said Pang Ershun, general manager of the company.

Workers package daylily beer in the production workshop of Datong Sanli Group Agriculture Co., Ltd. (People's Daily Online/Lu Pengyu)

Over the past five years, Datong has made the daylily industry a key pillar of agriculture and a driving force for rural revitalization. In collaboration with Shanxi Agricultural University, the city established the Datong Daylily Industry Development Research Institute and set up 10 research centers to conduct in-depth studies on sci-tech innovation and the commercialization of research outcomes in the daylily sector.

Photo shows a daylily planting base in Yunzhou district, Datong city, north China's Shanxi Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Chaoning)

Datong has created an integrated development model that blends agriculture, culture, tourism, and education. The city has developed 23 tourist attractions featuring daylily, attracting over 2 million tourist visits each year. As the entire daylily industry chain continues to grow, its annual output value has surpassed 4 billion yuan.