Longchuan Shellac

Longchuan Shellac

　　The local rural name for it is "zigeng." In the Dai language, it's called "hang," meaning to dye or adhere. The Jingpo people call it "maokan," which translates to adhesive in Chinese. Indeed, in ancient times, ethnic minority communities could only use it as an adhesive for knife handles or to seal cracks by burning and softening it—hardly any other practical uses.

　　 　　Both the De’ang people, who were among the earliest to settle in Longchuan, and the Dai people, who arrived slightly later, claim that Longchuan shellac is a natural gift. As early as the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty, nearly 500 years ago, the "Yunnan Annals" listed shellac alongside peacocks as one of the region’s notable and outstanding specialties under the Longchuan entry in the official historical records.

　　 　　In its natural state, Longchuan shellac mostly parasitizes on branches of trees such as cow ribba (Schima wallichii), Yangqing (Ilex spp.), sour jujube (mahuo), and big blue trees. Most of these are concentrated in the forest belts along the lower slopes of the Longjiang River valley. There are extensive mixed forests of cow ribba and Yangqing along the areas of Pondu, Luolang, Bangwa, and Mengyue. The wild shellac resources are quite abundant. Around 1937, during the 26th year of the Republic of China, merchants from Tengchong and Longling came to purchase shellac in large quantities. Luolang even became famous for its “shellac street,” with normal annual trading volumes reaching around 150 loads (approximately 10 metric tons).

　　 　　After the liberation, shellac was listed as a key project for developing the mountainous economy, managed primarily through collective, artificially raised cultivation. In the 1960s, under the slogan “a thousand-acre shellac plantation, one pig per person,” a major campaign was launched to establish high-yield shellac plantations with Leucaena leucocephala trees, focusing on developing economic forests. Most of the plateau areas on both sides of the Longchuan Basin were cultivated, and by 1972, the county’s shellac forest covered 6,535 acres. In 1973, shellac production hit a historical record of 11.8 tons.

　　 　　Longchuan shellac is valued for its pure color and high resin content; its advantages include wide adaptability, strong natural regeneration, and low susceptibility to disease. Backed by lush natural forests of cow ribba and Yangqing, there remains tremendous potential for further development and utilization.