From little seedlings large profits grow

Ji Xue, from a family who relocated from their remote home in the mountains to a modern community as part of the poverty alleviation efforts five years ago, walks with her family in Anshun, Guizhou province, in December. YANG WENBIN/XINHUA At a small plantation on the northern edge of the Himalaya Mountains range in the Xizang autonomous region, lingzhi mushrooms are being cultivated to increase the local income. This process has become all too common at the Red Sun Family Farm in Manling in Xizang's Nyingchi city, where efforts to grow medicinal herbs and fungi are changing lives for the better. The farm, which yielded 15 metric tons of dried lingzhi last year, is supplying seedlings and technical support to about 400 lingzhi-growing families in Manling to increase output. "The growth is exponential," he said, emphasizing that lingzhi cultivated in Manling boasts superior quality compared to counterparts grown in lower-altitude regions, making them highly sought-after in the market.