2024 Longshan Lily High-quality Development Conference kicks off

The 2024 Longshan Lily High-quality Development Conference as well as the Production and Sales Matchmaking Conference kicked off in Shangmu Village, Shipai Town, Longshan County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture on the morning of July 19.

25 contestants from surrounding townships competed for the “Lily King” with their largest lilies. Besides, 22 enterprises in Longshan County displayed and sold their special agricultural products in a market. Internet-famous streamers were also invited to promote Longshan County’s lily products and specialty agricultural products online. Various exquisite agricultural products like lily noodles, and lily tea attracted customers from all over the world to taste and purchase.
 
Zou Danzhong, deputy director of the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Longhui County in Shaoyang City, highly praised Longshan Lily tea after tasting it on the site. He said, “The taste is slightly bitter, and then turns sweet. With a hint of coolness, it makes throats particularly comfortable.”

The Tujia three-stick drum performance, a national intangible cultural heritage project, showcased the excellent development trend of Longshan Lily. Longshan County is the largest lily producing area in China. It has a stable planting area of around 100,000 mu (about 666.67 hectares) throughout the year, with a total output of 100,000 tons and a total output value of 1 billion yuan, benefiting more than 90,000 farmers. In 2023, the price of Longshan Lily reached a new high, with an output value exceeding 3 billion yuan.

“Farmers can sell lily seeds in spring, lily flowers in summer, lily bulbs in autumn, and dry lily slices in winter,” said Yu Xiaolong, head of Longshan Yinjiajie Ecological Agriculture Development Co., Ltd. Longshan Lily has been listed as a national famous, special, excellent and new agricultural product and a national geographical indication protection product. It has been awarded an “One County, One Specialty” excellent agricultural product brand in Hunan Province for four consecutive years. It is sold well in more than 20 provinces and cities in China, helping villagers increase income and promoting rural revitalization.

In more than 60 years of cultivation history, the Longshan people have continued efforts to extend the entire lily industry chain, promote high-quality breeding, standardized planting, and green processing, and build a standardized production and sales system from the field to the dining table. In addition, the annual lily digging competition was held simultaneously in the lily field nearby, with 15 groups participated, attracting many onlookers. Five Tujia young people beat drums and gongs to cheer for the participants.

After the fierce competition, Longshan Xinyaoyuan Lily Planting Professional Cooperative won the championship with 24.4 kilograms of lily bulbs. The lily bulb brought by Tang Qingshan, a villager from Yuhe Village in Shipai Town, won the “Lily King” with a weight of 455.3 grams.

“I have been planting lilies for more than 10 years, and now I have planted over 150 mu (10 hectares) of lilies. It was my first time to participate in the competition, and it’s unexpected to win the ‘Lily King’. Planting lilies is like raising a child, which requires attentive care,” said Tang Qingshan.