Wanzai Longya lily powder brings prosperity to thousands of households
Wanzai County in Jiangxi Province has long been known as the "Home of Lilies" and is one of the three major lily-producing areas in the country. Every year in early summer, walking into the villages of Wanzai, you can see patches of lilies blooming everywhere, their delicate petals and graceful postures like slender fairies dancing in the fields and swaying in the wind.
As a treasure among flowers, the lily is the top choice as a token for expressing good wishes. Besides being ornamental, the Wanzai Longya lily is also a green and safe nutritious delicacy.
In early autumn, the fresh lilies dug from the ground by growers are large and solid at the core, white as jade in color, with fleshy scales shaped like dragon teeth and bulbs that clasp one another, hence the elegant name Longya lily (Dragon Tooth Lily).
Since the Song Dynasty, Wanzai Longya lily powder has been a tribute to the imperial court. According to the "Wanzai County Annals," "Longya lily powder is crystal clear and lustrous, with a pure and rich taste; it circulates through major ports and is regarded as a rare delicacy."
Nutritional analysis shows that the Wanzai Longya lily is rich in protein, fat, starch and various alkaloids, making it most suitable for processing into powder. After being mixed with boiling water into a paste, Wanzai Longya lily powder is crystal clear and pure, with a sweet and pleasant taste.
To increase the added value of Longya lilies, since the 1990s Wanzai County has established a lily health food company and successfully developed a series of "Longya Brand" lily powder products. Subsequently, more than 10 leading lily processing enterprises emerged in the county, developing 8 major series and more than 40 varieties, including lily milk, lily beverage, lily wine, lily cake and lily noodles. The Wanzai Longya lily brand has grown increasingly renowned, successively obtaining the Green Food Grade A Product Certificate, Organic Food Certificate, and National Geographical Indication Certification Trademark, among others. At present, Wanzai Longya lily powder has been sold to countries and regions such as Europe, the United States, Japan and Southeast Asia.
On August 26, in Guyuan Village, Gaocheng Town, Wanzai County, farmer Zou Baosheng was busy processing lily powder. He led the founding of the Lüquan Farmers' Professional Cooperative, which planted more than 120 mu of lilies this year, harvested more than 720 tons of fresh lilies, with a total output value of more than 2.5 million yuan. The more than 50 farmers who joined the cooperative can each increase their income by an average of more than 20,000 yuan.
In the processing factory, Zou Baosheng did the accounts for this author: lilies are a winter-crossing crop planted in the first year and harvested the next year; after harvesting the lilies, a crop of second-season late rice can also be planted. Because the farmland planted with lilies has sufficient base fertilizer and good soil moisture, the yield of second-season late rice is about 20% higher than that of fields without lily rotation. Therefore, rotating lilies in rice fields achieves "twice the result with half the effort." Moreover, growing lilies brings more than 10 times the income of rice; farmers invest about 7,000 yuan per mu of lilies and get an output of about 18,000 yuan, with a net income of up to 10,000 yuan.
In recent years, Wanzai County has introduced the concept of organic agriculture into the Longya lily industry. Starting in 2010, the government has subsidized 600 yuan per mu for Longya lily planting bases. At the same time, the county has also secured a number of projects such as Longya lily seed breeding and the Longya lily industrialization base, setting lilies on the path of industrialized development. This year, Wanzai County's Longya lily planting area has expanded to more than 10,000 mu, with output reaching more than 6,000 tons and comprehensive output value reaching more than 200 million yuan, becoming the "flower of prosperity" for local farmers to escape poverty and strive for a moderately prosperous life.
Tips
How to eat: Each time take a certain amount of lily powder, first mix it evenly with a small amount of warm water or cool boiled water, then pour in boiling water (above 90 degrees) and stir until it forms a transparent paste, then add fresh honey or white sugar, etc.
How to get there: Starting from Nanchang City, drive via the S38 Changli Expressway or National Highway G320 to Wanzai County town, about 170 km in total; or get off at Yichun Station on the Shanghai-Kunming High-Speed Railway and then take a bus, about a 30-minute ride to arrive.