Datong emerging as China's citron daylily hub

Workers pick citron daylily buds at a plantation in Yunzhou district of Datong, North China's Shanxi province. ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY

Autumn, the traditional harvest season in China, breathes life into the Yunzhou district of Datong, Shanxi province. Fields of golden blooms stretch as far as the eye can see, as workers move with purpose through the fields. The process is meticulous — flowers are washed, packed, blanched, dried and boxed with precision.

The once unassuming city of Datong is now becoming the nation's citron daylily hub, producing a quarter of the country's total output. This once overlooked industry now plays a crucial role in the local economy, improving farmers' lives and drawing tourists from across the nation.

From cultivation and harvesting to processing and sightseeing, the citron daylily industry has formed a mature supply chain, generating revenue of 4.2 billion yuan ($592 million) a year. These flowers are not just a local treasure, they are exported to markets in the United States, Canada, Japan and other countries and regions.

Tang Wan, a citron daylily grower in Yunzhou, and his wife enter their field every night around 11 pm to harvest the flowers until dawn. He said high-quality flowers must be picked while still in bud form, before the sunlight causes them to bloom and lose their value.

Typically, the couple harvests over 100 kilograms of flowers and earns around 500 yuan per night.

Tang's hometown, Yunzhou, provides an ideal environment for citron daylily cultivation, which benefits from abundant sunlight, significant temperature variations and nutrient-rich soil.

Yet, the going was not without challenges. Before the citron daylily industry gained momentum, local farmers like Tang struggled with the unpredictability of weather and the long cultivation cycle of yellow flowers, which take four years to mature and do not allow growers to make a profit straightaway.

Tang's early attempts were thwarted by drought, forcing him to abandon his first crop and return to corn farming. "For three years, I planted and dug up, planted and dug up, over and over again," Tang recalled.

Employees transport freshly picked citron daylily buds at a plantation in Yunzhou district. ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY

A turning point came in 2012, when Yunzhou identified the yellow flowers as a strategic crop for poverty alleviation. The local government launched a series of supportive measures like crop insurance to further alleviate farmers' concerns like unstable income, accelerating the expansion of yellow flower cultivation.

The results have been remarkable. By the end of last year, the planting area had expanded from under 667 hectares to 11,333 hectares, yielding 120,000 metric tons of fresh citron daylily and receiving an annual output value of 700 million yuan. This boom has increased farmers' annual incomes by an average of 5,000 yuan per person. Products now extend from vegetables and beverages to cosmetics and cultural goods, with a combined industry chain value of 2.2 billion yuan.

Tang's farm has grown from a modest 0.07-hectare plot to a 2.3-hectare operation.

"Agricultural experts now guide us through every stage. After harvesting, the flowers are collected by the factory, and we get paid on-site, so we don't worry about sales," Tang said.

Since 2020, his annual income has doubled, allowing him to buy a car and a house.

As the industry continued to flourish, Yunzhou officials are actively working to sustain this momentum. They encouraged village leaders to purchase flowers from local farmers and streamline the transportation and processing chain, ensuring that the benefits of this golden bloom are shared across the community.

Zhang Wei, head of the villagers committee which manages the administrative affairs of Tangjiabao village in Yunzhou, said that the lack of a platform and bridge for communication between farmers and agricultural enterprises was an important reason hindering the citron daylily industry's growth.

Datong Sanli Group is one of the largest citron daylily production and processing enterprises in Yunzhou. Zhao Jiayao, general manager of e-commerce at Datong Sanli, said that the typical flow after flowers enter the processing plant includes weighing, unloading, cleaning, wilting, steaming, drying, selecting and packaging.

After more than two decades of development, Datong Sanli Group has four major factories, establishing a complete citron daylily industry chain encompassing procurement, processing, research and development, logistics, electronic warehousing and tourism.

Its products include dried citron daylily, citron daylily sauce, cakes and beverages. Zhao said that these yellow flower products have become specialty gifts that tourists and online shoppers buy.

The citron daylily processing sector in Datong is showing strong development momentum and Sanli is not the only company that has benefited from the trend.

Yang Qi, head of Datong Huaqingcheng Field Agriculture Development Co Ltd, a local enterprise, said: "We employ over 40 workers all year round and increase the number to over 150 during peak seasons. Our processed products like citron daylily meat sauce and vegetarian sauce have been sold to over 20 provincial capitals nationwide. This year, we expect to sell 600-800 tons of dried citron daylily across the nation."

Many local enterprises are actively engaging in product research and development. Datong Daweihuang Food Co Ltd has developed a series of innovative desserts such as citron daylily cakes, syrup-bursting citron daylily cakes, citron daylily beef cakes and citron daylily croissants. They also launched the citron daylily pre-made self-heating hotpot last year.

An increasing number of young people see hope in the development of the industry and are joining related businesses. Pang Ershun is one of them, who took over from his father and now runs Datong Sanli Group.

Pang fully utilized his familiarity with internet technologies to sell locally produced citron daylily products on e-commerce platforms. He has also signed purchase contracts with many farmers, ensuring a certain amount of purchases per year.

The emergence of new industries driven by citron daylily development goes far beyond the examples discussed above. During summer vacation in Yunzhou, Forget-Worries Farm, an entertainment project encompassing farming and tourism, has attracted many schools and educational institutions for camping. Corporate team-building, tourists' experience of harvesting citron daylily and other projects are popular activities.

Located in Tuofang village of Yunzhou, Forget-Worries Farm was established eight years ago by an economic organization of a local village. It transformed an abandoned greenhouse for its business.

The farm is now collaborating with local universities to establish a research base to find methods to increase the yield and quality of citron daylily, resist diseases and pests, and develop beauty and health products using the yellow flowers' essence as the main ingredient. The farm regularly conducts study tours and leisure activities for families.

Duan Yaping, who is in charge of the farm's operation, said, "By integrating agriculture, culture and tourism, we hope to turn the small yellow flowers into a big industry, increasing the income of local farmers."