Daylilies grow into big industry in Datong, N China’s Shanxi

Daylilies have entered the harvest season in Datong city, north China’s Shanxi Province. At a cooperative in a local village, baskets of newly picked daylilies were waiting to be weighed.

“I got up at around 2 a.m., and I have picked five baskets already. Picking daylilies requires us to get up early,” said Chen Rong, a farmer from Guayuan village, Yunzhou district of Datong.

The daylily planting areas in Datong span 261,000 mu (17,400 hectares), accounting for about 25 percent of the national total. Today, daylily farming has become a cash cow for local growers and a specialty industry in Datong.

Photo shows newly picked daylilies at a cooperative in Guayuan village, Yunzhou district of Datong, north China's Shanxi Province. (People’s Daily Online/Wu Xiao)

Li Qiang is a farmer who steams daylilies at the cooperative. He earns 300 yuan (about $41.24) a day.

“Once steamed, the green-colored daylilies transform into a pale yellow-green shade, indicating they are about 50 percent ripe. This process requires precise control of temperature and water pressure, making it a skilled task. A single pot can accommodate around 2,500 kilograms of daylilies for steaming,” Li said.

Daylilies are dried in trays under the sun. (People's Daily Online/Wu Xiao)

After steaming, workers spread the daylilies on the ground to dry under the sun.

The production of daylilies involves three steps: harvesting, steaming and drying, said Liang Quan, director of the Datong Brand Agriculture and Technology Information Development Center.

“Compared to sun-drying on the ground, using trays to dry daylilies yields a cleaner, straighter, thicker, and more vibrant product,” said Xue Junxian, head of a cooperative in Xubao village, Datong.

In 2005, Xue began cultivating daylilies. After years of market research and experimentation, she adopted tray drying techniques last year, enabling the entry of daylilies into high-end markets like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Fujian Province.

Daylilies are spread out on the ground for drying. (Photo courtesy of the media center of Yunzhou district, Datong city)

This year, Xue’s cooperative has introduced drying greenhouses, eliminating the impact of weather on the drying process.

“Quality products practically sell themselves. Last year, we produced 25,000 kilograms of daylilies, and all of them were snapped up within a month after being processed, resulting in a net income of over 600,000 yuan,” Xue said.

Photo shows bread and pastries with daylily as an ingredient. (People’s Daily Online/Zhang Tingting)、

Currently, there are over 175 entities involved in the production, processing, and sales of daylilies in Datong. The total estimated value of the entire industry chain is expected to reach 6 billion yuan.

They have developed more than 130 varieties of products in six major categories, including daylily dishes, food, beverages, functional foods, cosmetics, and creative cultural products. These products are exported to countries such as Japan, Canada, and the United States.

Photo shows daylily products. (Photo courtesy of the media center of Yunzhou district, Datong city)