New driving forces in industrial revitalization, understanding Northeast | taste Northeast industry | taste | revitalization
Harbin, July 1, Xinhua News Agency, when you mention the taste of the northeast, what can you immediately think of? Is it chicken stewed with mushrooms, pork stewed with vermicelli, or Changbai Mountain old ginseng?
In fact, the Northeastern flavor that is imprinted in people's hearts and enriches their taste buds is not only hidden in the mountains and sprouts in the fields, but also gathered by the seaside. Whether it's the mountain goods hidden under the layers of lush forests, the strong aroma of rice brushed by the gentle breeze, or the seafood nurtured in the surging waves, all of them make gluttonous diners yearn and nostalgic, driving the continuous development of the local economy and injecting new momentum into the revitalization of Northeast China.
Ginseng Flavors: Developing the Whole Chain and Strengthening the Industry
In the southeast of Jilin Province, Changbai Mountain stands tall and towering, bringing abundant resources to the local people for thousands of years. The most representative among them is undoubtedly ginseng, the top of the "Three Treasures of Northeast China".
Ginseng has a bitter taste, nourishes vitality, and is often used as a precious traditional Chinese medicine. The Changbai Mountain area is the origin and core production area of Chinese ginseng, with a history of over 450 years of artificial cultivation of ginseng and over 1500 years of wild mountain ginseng harvesting. Nowadays, ginseng, which is famous both domestically and internationally, is no longer a rare item in legendary stories, but has truly entered the homes of ordinary people and has a wider market and use.
In the tourist city of Ji'an, known as the "Little Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall", tourists not only enjoy the beautiful scenery but also taste a "ginseng banquet", which has become one of the "preserved projects". A set of "ginseng banquet" with over a dozen dishes, suitable for hot and cold, including traditional ginseng chicken soup and innovative pulled ginseng.
Behind ginseng dishes, there is the accumulation of local traditional culture and the support of modern industrial chains from planting to harvesting and processing, which further reflects the changes in people's positioning of ginseng and its industrial development concept.
Dishes made with ginseng.
In fact, in the past, planting ginseng was restricted by inconsistent planting standards and low market recognition, and often sold at a "carrot price". With the vigorous promotion of the full chain development of ginseng industry in Jilin Province in recent years, filling key gaps, and achieving a fresh ginseng quality rate of over 85%, ginseng has truly become an emerging agricultural pillar industry.
In the Yisheng Han Ginseng Industrial Park in Ji'an City, ginseng roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits all have corresponding deep processing products, presented in various forms such as tablets, ointments, powders, and bags. "Bringing ginseng into thousands of households requires people to know how to eat and how much to eat, as well as to be easy to carry and consume, all of which have been solved through technological development." Qu Jianjun, the director of the park, said that for different target groups, one can also focus on taste. For example, ginseng products targeting teenagers can highlight sweetness with blueberries, while red ginseng and pomegranate juice are designed for women.
Nowadays, ginseng is processed into five major series of over 1000 products, including food, medicine, health products, cosmetics, and biological products, entering the mass consumer market. The ginseng industry in Jilin has been growing year by year, with a total output value of 64.25 billion yuan in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 7%.
The Boundless Fragrance of Rice: Industrial Enhancement Helps Rural Revitalization
In midsummer, the vast expanse of black soil is covered with new greenery. In a rice field in Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province, tender green rice seedlings are neatly arranged, dancing gently in the wind, full of vitality and the expectations of farmers.
Black soil is widely recognized as the most fertile soil in the world, and the Northeast Black Soil Region in Heilongjiang Province is one of the major black soil zones in the world. Relying on the vast black soil resources, Heilongjiang has developed into the largest commodity grain base in China, and the carefully cultivated rice varieties such as Wuchang rice have also become regional business cards, famous throughout the country.
Wuchang City, known as the "hometown of high-quality rice in China", is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with fertile soil and sufficient sunlight. The Mangniu River and Lalin River meander through it, making it a well-known high-quality rice production area in China.
From the fields to the tip of the tongue, in order to provide more people with reliable Wuchang rice, in recent years, Wuchang City has implemented a rice industry improvement project, promoting high-quality development of the rice industry through four aspects of work: improving quality, brand protection, project construction, and service guarantee.
To support the continuous upgrading of the rice industry, many regions in Heilongjiang Province have focused on high-end rice and specialty rice, and have experimented with multiple varieties such as duck rice, crab rice, and fish rice. "Duck rice that has been tested for over 5 years has a shiny color, a soft and sticky taste, and a strong rice aroma. Its price is three times that of ordinary rice," said Li Yancheng, Chairman of a farmer's professional cooperative in Heilongjiang Province.
"If you want the fragrance of rice flowers to float further, you need to constantly innovate sales channels." Zhang Xue, a Heilongjiang native who used to work in Beijing, returned to her hometown many years ago to start a cooperative and deeply cultivate short video platforms and live streaming sales, successfully solving the dilemma of "good food but poor sales" in her hometown.
Zhang Xue introduced Wuchang rice to customers in the live broadcast room. Photo by Wei Hongyi, journalist from Xinhua News Agency
"I sold over 3000 orders in a day at most!" Zhang Xue said. During the live broadcast, in addition to telling the stories of new farmers on the black soil, she also showcased the achievements of rural revitalization in the village. She wanted to attract more like-minded young people to join the cooperative and promote the development of traditional agriculture towards the integration of agriculture, culture, and tourism.
Intensive planting, mechanized processing, high-quality packaging, and multi-channel sales... Nowadays, the rice industry chain in Heilongjiang Province continues to improve, with nearly 7000 cooperatives and more than 500 rice production and processing enterprises developed in Wuchang City alone. At present, tens of millions of acres of rice in Heilongjiang are growing vigorously, and in autumn, the rice produced will travel from here to various places.
Fresh and Sweet Seafood: A Gold Brand Shines New Vitality in the Marine Economy
In the early morning, Wang Yuyong, a villager from Huashan Village, Shicheng Township, Zhuanghe City, Dalian, Liaoning Province, drove a breeding boat to cut through the waves and set sail towards the distance. On the dark blue sea surface, breeding rafts and deep-sea net cages are lined up in a row, out of reach. Wang Yuyong and his companions skillfully raised the raft and collected the plump oysters onto the ship.
Dalian is located at 39 degrees north latitude, at the junction of the Yellow Sea, Bohai Sea, and warm and cold seawater. The cooler seawater makes the growth cycle of seafood longer, and sufficient growth time makes Dalian's seafood rich, juicy, and fleshy. Sea cucumbers, abalone, shrimp and scallops, among other seafood, showcase the delicious stories of this coastal city with unparalleled brilliance.
Wang Yuyong, who has been raising oysters for many years, returned with a full load. He said, "In the past, we raised diploid small oysters because the variety was not good and they couldn't sell at a high price. The purchase price was less than 2 yuan per kilogram. At that time, it was extensive farming, which often delayed the season. When it came to market in winter, we had to brave the cold and open the shell to get meat, and we could only sell it in a small area around us."
Nowadays, the seafood industry in Dalian has gradually developed from fishermen fighting alone to large-scale aquaculture. "We are now adopting the model of 'government+enterprises+fishermen' to build an 'oyster town', with high-end high-quality oysters as the main product, relying on enterprises to provide equipment and technology to farmers, while opening up sales channels and creating a full industry chain of seedling cultivation, breeding, processing, and sales." said Jiang Hua, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shicheng Township.
Fishermen in Haiyang Island Town, Changhai County, Dalian City work on ocean ranches. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yao Jianfeng
From promoting the transformation and upgrading of seafood aquaculture to high-quality, high-efficiency, and large-scale, to vigorously developing deep processing of seafood, Dalian continuously extends the fishing industry chain and enhances the value chain. Entering the product research and development laboratory of Dalian Ruichi Enterprise Group, R&D personnel are developing various pre made seafood dishes with a fragrant aroma. "From smoked salmon to appetizing grilled fish, over a hundred types of pre made seafood dishes have drifted across the sea, 'touring' to dining tables in more than 50 countries and regions from here." said Deng Entang, Chairman of Dalian Ruichi Enterprise Group, as Dalian Seafood takes the 'pre made dishes' express to enjoy both domestic and international markets.
Currently, Dalian's marine economy is developing rapidly. In 2022, Dalian has a marine aquaculture area of 6.95 million mu, achieving a marine aquaculture output of 2.08 million tons and a total fishery economic output value of 76.6 billion yuan. "Dalian Seafood", a nationally renowned brand, not only drives the development of the local marine economy, but also accelerates the transformation of Liaoning Province towards the sea, creating a national backbone cold chain logistics base, and creating a cold chain logistics center for aquatic products in Northeast Asia, allowing this northernmost coastal province in China to radiate new vitality in the marine economy.
The taste of Northeast China is not limited to countless, and the "Northeast on the tip of the tongue" is constantly refreshing people's understanding. The future has promising potential.
Poster production: Xu Kaixin
