This tree is left to fend for itself in China, but in Japan it is treated as a treasure; farmers earn a thousand yuan a month by picking its leaves

The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching. In the mountainous areas of Shaanxi and Henan in China, the leaves of a certain shrub tree begin to give off a fresh fragrance, and local farmers start heading up the mountains in twos and threes to "beat the leaves," then take the beaten leaves home to make zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival. The leaves of this tree are broad and tough; after picking them, farmers boil them in boiling water to remove the astringent taste, and then they can be used to wrap zongzi. They can also be placed in a steamer to line it when steaming buns, giving off a refreshing fragrance. In the past, this tree was not valued; it grew in the mountains, left to fend for itself, and no one paid it any attention. Now, however, its status is "like bamboo flowering, rising higher and higher." What is going on?

This tree is called the Mongolian oak (hu is pronounced the same as hu in "hu"). Its leaves are regarded as treasures by Japanese people. In traditional Japanese customs, Mongolian oak leaves represent long life, and many delicate pastries are wrapped in Mongolian oak leaves. Japanese people love "wagashi (rice cakes made from glutinous rice)." During the Dragon Boat Festival, wagashi wrapped in Mongolian oak leaves is a food loved by every household and carries a meaning of good blessings. Because there are relatively few Mongolian oaks in Japan, most are imported. China has relatively abundant Mongolian oak resources, and every year a large number of Mongolian oak leaves are exported to Japan.

So the Mongolian oak, which previously received little attention, suddenly became a "hot favorite." Every year in the 4th to 5th lunar months is the season when Mongolian oak leaves grow most vigorously. In the mountainous areas of western Henan, the whole family, old and young, joins in beating Mongolian oak leaves, grading them according to different sizes, and then sending them to local processing plants to sell. Hardworking people can earn a thousand yuan in April just by picking leaves, which is quite good. Local processing plants carry out deep processing of Mongolian oak leaves through a series of procedures such as sterilization, disinfection, and removal of astringency, then pack them into boxes and export them abroad.

Elderly people in rural areas say that after Mongolian oak leaves mature, they have a rice-like fragrance, as if they were born specifically for wrapping zongzi. Zongzi wrapped in Mongolian oak leaves are something local people have eaten from childhood to adulthood, so many people who move elsewhere are not used to eating zongzi wrapped in reed leaves. Mongolian oak leaves are not only fragrant but also have medicinal value. The Tang Materia Medica evaluates it this way: "Sweet and bitter in taste, neutral, non-toxic. It mainly treats hemorrhoids, stops bleeding, treats bloody dysentery, and quenches thirst."

Dear readers, have you ever eaten zongzi wrapped in Mongolian oak leaves?