Dendrobium Shixingense

Dendrobium Shixingense

Dendrobium Shixingense is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Dendrobium Shixingense is a specialty of Shixing in Shaoguan, Guangdong.

　　According to the renowned pharmacological work *Annotations to the Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica*, “The dendrobium used today comes from Shixing, growing on rocks, fine and solid. When washed with mulberry ash decoction, those that turn golden in color and resemble the thigh of a grasshopper in shape are considered the best...” At that time, “Shixing” referred to the current Shaoguan region in Guangdong, an administrative division known as “Shixing Commandery.”

　　This is sufficient to demonstrate that the Shaoguan region is the origin of high-quality dendrobium varieties, with a long history of processing.

　　Given that historical texts bear witness to Shaoguan as the “birthplace of wild dendrobium,” it stands to reason that the rapid development of dendrobium seedling cultivation and transplanting bases in recent years has followed naturally.

　　Data shows: by 2013, the city’s dendrobium cultivation area had expanded from 100 acres in 2004 to over 2,000 acres, accounting for more than 50% of the province’s total dendrobium cultivation area, spread across all counties (cities, districts) in the city, with an annual output value of approximately 150 million yuan; there were 16 dendrobium cultivation bases in the city, 10 of which covered more than 30 acres, mainly distributed in Shixing County, Renhua County, Xinfeng County, Ruyuan County, and Wengyuan County.

　　Development Status of Dendrobium Shixingense

　　1. Courtyard Cultivation. For over a thousand years, residents of Shixing have commonly grown Dendrobium Shixingense as ornamental plants or medicinal herbs in their own courtyards.

　　2. Small-Scale Cultivation. In the 1980s, locals began developing wild Dendrobium Shixingense resources and experimenting with small-scale cultivation. The county cumulatively planted over 80 acres of Dendrobium Shixingense. Due to a lack of seedling propagation technology and standardized cultivation techniques, seedling reproduction was slow, making expansion of production difficult.

　　3. Industrialized Facility Cultivation. From 2012 to 2014, Dendrobium Shixingense producers strictly adhered to the *Quality and Technical Specifications for Dendrobium Shixingense* and the local standard for *Dendrobium Shixingense* (see Attachment 8), achieving a qualitative leap in technical sophistication across the processes of “tissue culture of seedlings — facility cultivation — harvesting.” Industrialized facility cultivation of Dendrobium Shixingense was thus implemented. By 2014, the county had cumulatively cultivated 1,250 acres of Dendrobium Shixingense.

　　4. Sustainable Development. Since 2015, Dendrobium Shixingense producers have adopted a “company (or cooperative) + base + farmer” model, with scientific and technological support from multiple research institutions including Shaoguan University, the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shaoguan Agricultural Science Institute, and Shaoguan Institute for Drug Control. Led by Shaoguan Chebaling Investment Development Co., Ltd. and Shixing Lvyuan Biotechnology Co., Ltd., and guided by the *Quality and Technical Specifications for Dendrobium Shixingense* and the local standard for *Dendrobium Shixingense*, they established Dendrobium Shixingense production bases and seedling tissue culture bases. Under the premise of effectively protecting wild Dendrobium Shixingense resources, they scientifically developed the industry, forming an integrated service system encompassing production, processing, sales, and R&D, ushering the Dendrobium Shixingense industry into a stage of sustainable development.

　　Dendrobium Shixingense

　　 The current administrative region of Shixing County, Guangdong Province

　　 *Letter from the People’s Government of Shixing County Regarding the Proposed Scope for Delimiting the Protected Geographical Indication Product of Dendrobium Shixingense*, Shifu Letter [2014] No. 102

　　 Guangdong Provincial Local Standard: DB440222/T6-2014 *Dendrobium Shixingense*