Dashan Selenium-Rich Village

Dashan Selenium-Rich Village

Dashan Village, one of China’s three major selenium-rich villages, is nestled among the towering mountains of Xianyuzhen Town, Shitai County, in southern Anhui. To the east, it borders the Guniujiang National Nature Reserve, and to the west, it connects with the renowned ecotourism destination Xianyushan. These areas are all part of the western extension of the Huangshan Mountain Range, sitting at an altitude of over 1,000 meters, forming an ancient and mystical mountain paradise.

Dashan Village currently has a population of over 480 people, with 12% aged 80 or above. In the past 50 years, not a single villager has been diagnosed with cancer, nor has there been a single case of obesity—earning it the well-deserved titles of “Longevity Village” and “Slim Village.” The village consists of three residential groups: Wangcun, Licun, and Hongcun, surrounded by exceptionally beautiful natural scenery. Rolling mountains stretch as far as the eye can see, ancient trees stand lush and green, valleys and ravines crisscross the landscape, and streams and waterfalls abound. Tea plantations blanket the hillsides in emerald green, and terraced fields layer the slopes. There are also well-preserved ancient villages from the Ming and Qing dynasties, selenium-rich holy springs, selenium-rich tea gardens, Shenlong Valley, General Rock, Tiger Rock, Frog Stone, Guanyin Cave, Tianfang Lake, and more. These stunning landscapes, combined with the mysterious selenium-rich village, create a heavenly place full of charm and mystique. In February 2004, experts from the Green Technology Center of the University of Science and Technology of China conducted soil tests in Dashan Village and discovered that it is an exceptionally rare selenium-rich village in China. According to test reports from the Trace Elements Consulting Department of the Anhui Science and Technology Consulting Center and the Anhui Trace Elements Research Society, the selenium content in soil primarily depends on the selenium level of the parent material. The soil on the tea hills of Dashan Village in Shitai is a yellow-brown soil rich in stone coal and humus. Its properties are similar to the selenium-rich soils of the other two major selenium-rich villages in China—Ziyang in Shaanxi and Enshi in Hubei—which also have stone coal-rich soils. Analysis showed that the soil on the tea hills of Dashan Village contains an average of 4.4 micrograms of selenium per gram.

Ziyang in Shaanxi has 3.98 micrograms of selenium per gram of soil, while Enshi in Hubei has 9.7 micrograms per gram. Therefore, the average selenium content in Dashan Village’s soil falls between that of Ziyang and Enshi, being more than 20 times higher than that of ordinary soil. According to relevant data, selenium is an essential trace element for the human body, but more is not necessarily better—there is always an optimal range. Excessive selenium is not only useless but can even be harmful, affecting the absorption of other trace elements. On the other hand, if selenium levels are too low, it fails to provide the desired nutritional and health benefits. The average selenium content in Dashan Village’s soil is higher than that of Ziyang but lower than that of Enshi, striking a beneficial balance. Moreover, the selenium-rich soil area in Dashan Village spans approximately 200 hectares—an unusually large expanse of selenium-rich land, which is extremely rare in China. Anhui’s Dashan Village truly deserves to be called China’s No. 1 Selenium-Rich Village. All tea produced in Dashan is selenium-rich organic tea. Wang Jiansan, a retired worker from Tongling City who was once sent to work in Dashan Village, went to the hospital for a check-up in February 1997 and was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Despite various treatments, his condition did not improve, leaving him disheartened. Remembering the Dashan Village where he had once been sent, with its fresh air and tranquil environment—a perfect place for recuperation—he decided to give it a try. With nothing to lose, he returned to the long-forgotten Dashan, built a simple shack against the mountain, planted a small vegetable patch, and spent his days hiking and picking wild fruits, living a self-sufficient and isolated life. Five years later, although Wang had become thinner, he appeared more energetic, his appetite had improved, and the pain in his stomach gradually lessened. When he went back to the hospital for a follow-up examination, to everyone’s astonishment, the cancer cells in his body had miraculously disappeared. This incident quickly drew the attention of the media and the scientific community. In February 2004, experts from the Green Technology Center of the University of Science and Technology of China came to Dashan Village and conducted comprehensive soil analyses, discovering that it is an exceptionally rare selenium-rich village in China. According to test reports from the Trace Elements Consulting Department of the Anhui Science and Technology Consulting Center and the Anhui Trace Elements Research Society, the selenium content in soil mainly depends on the selenium level of the parent material. The soil on the tea hills of Dashan Village in Shitai is a yellow-brown soil rich in stone coal and humus, similar in properties to the selenium-rich soils of the other two major selenium-rich villages in China—Ziyang in Shaanxi and Enshi in Hubei—which also have stone coal-rich soils. Analysis revealed that the soil on the tea hills of Dashan Village contains 9.7 micrograms of selenium per gram. Therefore, the average selenium content in Dashan Village falls between that of Ziyang and Enshi, being more than 20 times higher than that of ordinary soil—exactly the amount needed by the human body. It’s fair to say that our selenium-rich Dashan Village is like a natural medicine—that’s one of the mysterious aspects. It is precisely this mysterious selenium that saved the life of an elderly man suffering from advanced-stage cancer.