Exploring the Southern Yunnan Materia Medica Botanical Museum
In Xiaoshao, Kunming Airport Economic Zone, there hides a little-known museum - China's first private materia medica museum. Here, you can not only see 13 plants that changed the course of history, but also see specimens of some local materia medica plants of Yunnan.
"Without enough passion, this museum would never have been built; after building it, we found that the future of the materia medica industry is full of brilliant prospects." Su Yijiang, curator of the Southern Yunnan Materia Medica Botanical Museum, said that the Southern Yunnan Materia Medica Botanical Museum belongs not only to Yunnan, but also to the world, and that it will bring good economic benefits in the future.
What can you see?
More than 600 kinds of materia medica specimens
What can you see in this museum? On May 25, a reporter went to the Southern Yunnan Materia Medica Botanical Museum for an interview, and Tao Mei, a guide at the Southern Yunnan Materia Medica Botanical Museum, gave an introduction.
The first floor is the science popularization hall. Here, people can see 13 plants that changed the course of history. Here, you can learn about the "Boston Tea Party" triggered by tea leaves, which led to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War and the eventual founding of the United States; citrus enabled humans to overcome scurvy, ensured long sea voyages, and connected the East and the West across the oceans; the mulberry tree supported sericulture and the silk industry, which led to the birth of the Silk Road. Fresh orange juice is not only delicious and refreshing, helping people start a new day, but is also a nutritious drink that replenishes the vitamin C the body needs.
The second floor is the specimen hall. You can see specimens of more than 600 kinds of materia medica, as well as pictures. In addition, you can learn about materia medica in daily life: in the long historical scroll of humankind, plants have always been an indispensable element of that scroll. As time passed, the uses of plants did not disappear; instead, with social development they came to be used even better. From primitive society, when plants were made into clothing to cover oneself and keep warm, to the straw rain capes and straw hats we later saw, to today's cotton and linen fabrics; from the thatched huts of the beginning to today's beautiful wooden houses; from the simple production tools of the early days to today's exquisite handicrafts. The uses of materia medica plants have become ever more inseparable from our lives.
In addition, you can also see the 2017 edition of the Red List of Yunnan Province's Biological Species, which includes macrofungi, ferns, fish, birds, lichens, gymnosperms, amphibians, mammals, bryophytes, angiosperms, reptiles, and more - all of which urgently need human protection. There is also an experience area where you can take part in making materia medica preparations and more.
What is the significance?
Protecting materia medica also means protecting hope
Su Yijiang said: "From planning to design, the Baicao Manor preserved the original landscape pattern, topography and vegetation to the greatest extent possible. For building materials, we referred more to the residential characteristics of Yunnan's ethnic minorities, choosing natural stone slabs, earth bricks and other plain materials. In order to preserve the historical appearance of the original site as much as possible, an agricultural irrigation pump house built in the 1950s in the park was converted into a coffee cabin - 'Wanghu Yazhu' - while retaining its water-pumping function. The Southern Yunnan Materia Medica Botanical Museum is located in the core area of Baicao Garden and is also the biggest sight and highlight here."
As for the original intention behind founding the "Southern Yunnan Materia Medica Botanical Museum," Su Yijiang said: "First, passion. Our work has always been ecological restoration, and in that process we discovered some endangered species, so we wanted to preserve their genes; second, love. Working in nature, I like dealing with all kinds of plants, and when I see good and rare species, I want to preserve them. In addition, Yunnan is a rich kingdom of animals and plants, and through the museum we can show the relationship between plants and people. Our recognition of the Ming dynasty physician Lan Mao (a native of Yanglin, Songming) and our devotion to materia medica plants led us to create the Southern Yunnan Materia Medica Botanical Museum."
Su Yijiang said: "Protecting materia medica also means protecting hope. We originally just wanted to protect and display materia medica well, but now we have discovered its brilliant industrial future, which will also benefit humankind."
It is understood that at present, the construction and exhibition layout of the Southern Yunnan Materia Medica Botanical Museum have been basically completed, and reception, guiding and other work have entered the training and debugging stage. It will officially open after all work is improved. At present, if members of the public wish to visit, they can only make an appointment.