Beekeeping

Beekeeping

　　Beekeeping in China has a long history. According to *Biographies of Eminent Persons* by Huangfu Mi of the Jin Dynasty, during the Yanxi era (158–167) of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a hermit named Jiang Qi. The governor of Hanyang, Qiao Xuan, invited him to serve as an official, but Jiang Qi declined, pretending to be ill. Later, after his mother passed away, Jiang Qi gave his farmland to his brother Jiang Cen and retreated deep into the mountains, making a living by raising pigs and bees. Many people came to learn beekeeping techniques from him, and at one point, over 300 people were engaged in beekeeping. This shows that beekeeping was already quite advanced during the Han Dynasty. Beekeeping is also a traditional sideline for farmers in Cixi. The *Yuyao County Annals* from the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty recorded: “Among the benefits to the people are silkworms and bees.”

　　The modern beekeeping industry in Cixi began to thrive in the late 1950s. At that time, Italian bees were introduced to Cixi, and movable-frame hives were adopted for beekeeping. By 1967, Cixi had 15,000 bee colonies. In the 1980s, the beekeeping industry in Cixi experienced rapid and remarkable growth. In 1987, the city had 3,580 beekeeping households, employing over 10,000 people, with nearly 200,000 bee colonies and a total output value of bee products reaching 60 million yuan. Among them, Jian Tang’s Niujiaojian Village became nationally renowned as a “beekeeping village.” The village had 7,700 bee colonies, generating an output value of 1.5 million yuan—more than 1.3 times the total value of agricultural production. The primary method of beekeeping was migratory beekeeping, which involves moving bees across different regions to follow floral blooms and maximize honey production. This method allows for the utilization of honey sources nationwide, resulting in longer production cycles and higher yields. To achieve successful honey harvests, many beekeeping farmers in Cixi often relocated their entire families year-round, living nomadically and traveling as far as Xinjiang, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. They would spend springs breeding bees, producing honey, and overwintering in these regions. The large-scale beekeeping significantly increased the production of bee products such as honey, royal jelly, beeswax, and pollen. Cixi produced over 10,000 tons of honey and more than 100 tons of royal jelly annually. To utilize local honey resources, Cixi also established honey processing enterprises. Products such as royal jelly honey, pollen honey, royal jelly wine, and “China Bee Treasure” were sold to cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou, as well as to Southeast Asian countries.

　　From 1980 to 1991, Cixi’s beekeeping industry ranked first in the nation for 11 consecutive years. The Ministry of Agriculture designated Cixi as a national base for high-quality bee products. (Cixi)