12 jilinspecial MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2012 DAILY

Visitors and ginseng-diggers examine wild ginseng in the Changbai Mountains, an ideal place for ginseng growth due to its suitable temperature and climate. XIAO MING / FOR CHINA DAILY Ginseng tradition alive in Wanliang center 54,000-square-meter base provides commercial platform for popular root

By HAO NAN ginseng there, ranging from medicine. It is an ancient [email protected] delicate packages of dried natural species, the existence ginseng to roots that have of which predates mankind’s Wanliang’s ginseng cen- just been dug up. There is also arrival on the planet, said ter in Northeast China’s ginseng in glass bottles that is Cao Baoming, deputy chair- province is well known as a immersed in a liquid. man of the Chinese Folk Art- producer of one of the fin- The trade center moved ists Association. est varieties of the root in the around 40 million kilograms “Jilin’s Fusong county in country. of fresh ginseng worth about the Changbai Mountain area The 54,000-square-meter 2 billion yuan ($314 million) is an ideal place for ginseng trade center in Fusong county, in 2010, and dried ginseng cultivation due to the suit- , Jilin province, is said had a sales volume of 10,500 able temperature and climate. to be the largest of its kind in tons, worth 3.1 billion yuan. It has a history of cultivating XIAO MING / FOR CHINA DAILY the world. Built in 1989, it has Moreover, it also traded 500 ginseng that goes back more Ginseng roots from Jilin province. The local government has increased its investments in the retails shops, exclusive outlets million yuan of rare varieties than a thousand years, which production of green, high-quality ginseng. and small stalls offering the of ginseng in 2010. has made the herb a part of same commodity. The center Dubbed the “king of local people’s life.” digger will most likely get lost While they are scouring the by science and summed up even has enough space to hold herbs”, ginseng is considered Cao described Fusong as a in the deep mountains. And it mountains, the foragers’ rules from practices. Jilin’s Fusong county in ginseng exhibitions. to have great nutritious and museum of ginseng culture should be made up of an odd prohibit talking loudly, sitting “The red rope, for instance, People can buy all kinds of medicinal value in Chinese because of the diversity both number of members, leav- on stumps and hunting tigers helps keep the eye from get- the Changbai Mountain in shape and species. Some ing room for ginseng, which and snakes in order to avoid ting fatigued by looking at area is an ideal place have leaves or roots shaped is regarded as a person. If the disturbing the god, occupying green plants for a prolonged for ginseng cultivation like animals or humans, such team contains an even num- his seats or hurting his pets, period of time,” Cao said. due to the suitable as the precious “three gen- ber of members, that indicates Cao said. Because Chinese people erations” ginseng. It consists their efforts for ginseng will be Once they find ginseng, are paying closer attention to temperature‘‘ and climate. of three small parts shaped in vain.” they will circle it with red rope keeping healthy, the ginseng It has a history of like men at different ages: According to tradition, the because ginseng roots are industry has got a strong sup- cultivating ginseng that a grandfather, father and team will build a shrine for the thought to be magical crea- port from the local govern- grandson. Mountain God who, according tures, and collectors believe ment. People have abandoned goes back more than a When people dig wild gin- to legend, was also a ginseng red rope prevents them from the old way of cultivating gin- thousand years, which seng in the mountains, they collector that got lost and died disappearing. The finders will seng, which leads to deforesta- has made the herb a part must follow a series of rules on the mountain, Cao said. also celebrate by cooking a pig tion, in favor of a more sus- of local people’s life.” made by their ancestors, said “Ginseng diggers worship shared with all the villagers tainable method. Cao, who is also an expert on the god devoutly and believe upon their return. In addition, scientific inno- CAO BAOMING folk custom. he will protect them because Cao said these folk customs vations are being encouraged DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE CHINESE FOLK PROVIDED BY CAO BAOMING ARTISTS ASSOCIATION AND AN EXPERT ON “First, is to gather a team. they are his successors,” he may seem superstitious, but to develop more processed FOLK CUSTOM A three-person team sets out to dig for ginseng. Otherwise, a single ginseng said. most actually can be explained ginseng products, Cao said. New bonded area to revive NE China

By ZHANG ZHAO of the seaside cities of Yingkou and reduces capital pressure for huge importance in promoting [email protected] and Dalian in neighboring Lia- local companies. the province’s economy.” oning province. The management of the It is also predicted that the Xinglong Bond- “The comprehensive bonded bonded area said the major area will be a boon for the ed Area, the nation’s 19th com- area covers many industries, industries include high-tech revival of China’s northeastern prehensive bonded area, was including export-oriented sectors, such as electronic region, which was one of the recently approved by the State processing and logistics, and it products for automobiles and earliest and most important government and established functions as a port,” said Zhang transportation equipment industrial bases half a century in the capital city of Northeast Huanqiu, head of the devel- manufacturing. They also seek ago. China’s Jilin province. opment zone’s administrative to build a modern logistics net- Changchun is one of China’s PROVIDED BY TIAN ZHONGHUA As the first national bond- committee. work that will cover Northeast centers for the manufacture of Artist’s rendering of a bird’s eye view of the Changchun Xinglong Bonded Area. ed area in the province, it is “It is one of the most open Asia. automobiles and their parts expected to lead Jilin’s economy areas with the most functions The economic and techno- as well as a national base for 2010, the city attracted invest- along with many other roads tee of the bonded area plans to into the future by connecting it and the most preferential poli- logical development zone has biomedicine exports, farm ment totaling 140 billion yuan and a square. complete the infrastructure by with global markets, said local cies,” he added. rich land resources, a good produce processing and opto- ($22.1 billion), which in turn The economic development the next year and start opera- officials. Bonded goods are stored, ecological environment and electronic information tech- generated 100 billion yuan in zone has set up a 5-million- tion of the customs office. Located in the Changchun processed and transported extensive infrastructure. In nology. But the city’s economy added value. yuan fund as an allowance for By the end of the 12th Five- Economic and Technologi- within the area, thereby reduc- addition, the past seven ses- largely depends on invest- companies in the bonded area Year Plan period (2011-2015), cal Development Zone in the ing logistics costs, which results sions of the province’s North- ment. Infrastructure for logistics, talent attraction local officials predict that northeastern region of Chang- in maximized profit for com- east Asia Investment and Trade The many emerging indus- and policies and training. It also provides around 100 companies will be chun city, it has a planned area panies, Zhang said. Expo have enhanced trade ties tries being developed in the The local government has interest discounts and a long attracted to the area, includ- of nearly 5 square kilometers Many companies also have between Jilin and neighboring bonded area will help shift designed the bonded area to be repayment schedule on loans ing two or three global market and boasts advanced transpor- opened facilities for product countries. the city’s economic develop- a modern industrial park, and to those companies that have leaders in the processing sector. tation facilities. development, testing and after- The bonded area is expected ment model by increasing the they have invested 640 million made large investments. They are expected to provide It sits beside a number of sale services. to help promote international export of innovative products. yuan over the past two years to A Fortune 500 company can about 30,000 jobs. The goal for highways as well as the Xin- Before the bonded area was economic cooperation and fos- And the area also provides a acquire land. enjoy a 50 percent discount total foreign trade volume is glongshan Railroad Station, established, export-oriented ter a “Northeast Asia Expo that platform to utilize the city’s Two main roads in the area when buying land in the area $5 billion. which was designed to have the goods first had to be trans- never ends”, local officials said. increasing industrial capacity. and one leading to the airport to build factories and store- And according to the long- largest cargo-handling capacity ported to customs offices at “Without doubt, the found- Statistics show that Changc- have been basically completed. houses on the condition that term plan, the area is expected in the city. It is only 10 kilome- port cities, such as Dalian. ing of the bonded area is a hun’s GDP has doubled every Water and gas supply, heating it brings an investment of $10 to become “an internationally ters away from an international Now they can be declared and milestone in the history of four years on average, and the systems and an electricity net- million one lump sum and known processing and trade airport and it is roughly a five- examined at the customs office Jilin’s openness to the outside government’s fiscal revenue has work are being installed and opens import-export services. base and business center in hour drive away from the ports in the area, which saves time world,” said Zhang. “It will be of doubled every three years. In will be completed this year The administrative commit- Northeast Asia”.