The most expensive chili comes from Yunnan's own "Lao Gan Ma"

People in Yunnan love eating chili, and there are all sorts of ways to enjoy it: as a seasoning, fried in oil, boiled in water, or pickled. But in the river valley of Mohei Town, Ning'er County, Yunnan, there is a chili that a small bird also loves to eat -- the "little bird chili" (Xiao Que La). It has now been cultivated artificially by local people and has risen to the top of Yunnan's most expensive chili list.

A reporter recently saw this most expensive chili in Mohei Town. The little bird chili has tiny fruit, about 1 cm long. Because birds eat the fruit and spread the seeds through their droppings, local people call it the "little bird chili."

The person who discovered and promoted this chili is Luo Qionglan, chairman of the local Mengyejiang Company.

In the photo, farmers are picking little bird chilies

In 1996, Luo Qionglan's boyfriend Zhou Jianwei contracted a project in Bianbian River area of Mohei, Ning'er, and she often went to the construction site to visit him and casually cook a meal for the workers. One time, Luo Qionglan suddenly noticed a large chili tree near the work shed, 3 m tall and bearing many chilies. Luo Qionglan picked one and ate it, and found it was more fragrant, crisp and spicy than xiaomila chili. Luo Qionglan then used this chili to cook for the workers, and everyone thought it tasted very good.

When leaving, Luo Qionglan casually picked some and took them to the street to sell. At that time, ordinary chilies sold for about two yuan per kilogram, while her little bird chilies sold for 40 yuan per kilogram.

Because Mohei produces salt, local people have long had the habit of making pickled products. The shrewd Luo Qionglan spotted this business opportunity and began her entrepreneurial journey.

At first, Luo Qionglan went everywhere to buy little bird chilies from villagers, then processed them into pickled products for sale. What surprised her was that "the first batch of little bird chilies I spent 80,000 yuan on actually sold for more than 200,000."

Business got better and better, and Luo Qionglan and her husband set up a factory in the county town. But the difficulties that followed almost made her give up this career. In 2010, she purchased more than 40 tons of little bird chilies, but because production increased and the technology could not keep up, almost all the little bird chilies were ruined during pickling, and she lost 800,000 yuan in one go.

In the photo, little bird chilies are growing

Luo Qionglan realized that only a technological breakthrough could expand her business, so she began researching pickling methods with a technical team. In 2011, Luo Qionglan achieved success. Not only did she pay off her debts, but she also built a new factory by the river where the little bird chilies grow. What delighted Luo Qionglan most was that she also obtained an invention patent for the soaking process of little bird chilies.

Because demand for little bird chilies continued to increase, Luo Qionglan also set up a rural cooperative locally. The company raises seedlings and provides them free to farmers for planting from February to April, along with technical guidance, and purchases the harvest from June to December. Luo Qionglan said, "This can both ensure our supply of raw materials, and local farmers can also use little bird chilies to escape poverty and become better off."

Luo Qionglan promised the villagers, "No matter what, I will buy at 22 yuan per kilogram, and there will also be some preference for poor households registered as poverty-stricken."

Now, the little bird chilies made by Luo Qionglan have been sold to various places, and she has also set up her own e-commerce platform to achieve sales. Based on the standard of 150 grams per bottle, a bottle of little bird chili sells for more than 10 yuan on the market. Luo Qionglan told the reporter, "With unique raw materials plus secret processing, this should be the most expensive chili in Yunnan!"

The local government has also strongly promoted the planting of little bird chilies as one of the channels for increasing farmers' income, and has spread the artificial cultivation technique of little bird chilies to multiple townships in Ning'er County. At present, more than 2,000 farming households locally grow little bird chilies.

Besides chilies, Luo Qionglan also pickles specialty products such as litsea, pickled vegetables and haichuan. Because of this, some people jokingly call her Yunnan's "Lao Gan Ma." Luo Qionglan said, "There is still a big gap from that goal, but I am still very confident about the future."

Luo Qionglan told the reporter, "At present I am preparing to build a chili-themed estate, which will include scenic tours of little bird chili cultivation, chili banquets, and a chili culture multimedia exhibition center."

Luo Qionglan said with a smile, "I'll raise a few more small birds and let everyone see how the birds eat the chilies."