Guoluo Rhubarb

Guoluo Rhubarb

　　The miraculous, beautiful, and fertile Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture boasts enchanting and unique landscapes, featuring towering snow-capped mountains that pierce the clouds, vast primeval forests that blot out the sky, meandering streams originating from their sources, mirror-like lakes known as "haizi," and golden grasslands stretching for thousands of miles. It is often hailed as the "Kingdom of Plants." Golog has a long history; the name "Golog" in Tibetan means “the chieftain who turned defeat into victory.” As early as in the valley areas at the source of the Yellow River, humans thrived. In ancient times, it was grazing land for the Qiang people. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it became the central area of the Dangxiang grazing lands. In the Tang and Song dynasties, it belonged to Tubo. During the Yuan Dynasty, it came under the jurisdiction of the “Tubo and Other Routes Pacification Commissioner's Office.” In the Ming Dynasty, it was governed by the “Do Kham Pacification Commissioner’s Office.” By the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the grazing lands north of the Yellow River in Golog were inhabited by the Mongolian Heshuote tribe of Qinghai, and Golog was placed under the authority of the Qinghai Ministerial Commissioner. After 1721 AD, present-day Banma, Jiuzhi, and Darlag counties were administered under the Songpan Zhangla Camp of the Sichuan Chengmian Longmao Dao. Due to Golog’s remote location and isolated environment, no feudal dynasty throughout history had truly established political power here or exercised direct rule. For a long time, it remained outside the major political blocs, with various tribes of different sizes serving as the most fundamental social organizational units, functioning independently and without any hierarchical allegiance. Until the eve of liberation in 1952, the region was still in a state of feudal tribal separatism. The most basic forms of production and livelihood were nomadic herding, hunting, and gathering. Production methods were primitive and backward, and people lived in extreme poverty. Over the long course of hunting and gathering, some wild medicinal plants were collected, used for barter to secure a livelihood or for simple medicinal purposes. According to historical records, during grassland religious life, rhubarb was gathered not only for medical use but also for popular divination practices. At the Maduo Mogede Wa ruins, some stones were found arranged in a circle, and near the stone circles, remnants resembling rhubarb were unearthed, indicating that funeral rites or religious ceremonies likely took place there. Based on these inferences, the ancestors of Golog had initially mastered the use of rhubarb for medical treatment or consumption through religious activities. For hundreds of years, tribal chiefs in the Golog grasslands fought against one another to expand grazing lands. As the herds of a few chiefs grew, so did the number of livestock deaths due to disease. To reduce livestock mortality, rhubarb became an effective remedy for treating cattle and sheep. At the same time, in daily life, to aid digestion, local herders sliced rhubarb and brewed it as rhubarb tea. To this day, in meat-centric Golog, some herders still drink rhubarb-based tea to lower blood lipids. There are many legends and stories about rhubarb among the people of Golog. One such tale goes: “...The mighty spirits of the earth, the earth treasure immortals and earth fairy maidens, please guide my song and bless my fortune. This land is the blessed territory of the Machig region, a treasure land overflowing with aspirations. I am the guardian deity of wisdom in the Ling Kingdom. This song is a praise of the Ling Kingdom’s landscape and objects, and here I will speak of medicinal herbs. The origin of the miraculous summer herb, rhubarb, began in the place where the deer-horn-leaved plant grew at the birthplace of Senjian Zhuma in Gemu. There once grew a rhubarb plant, and ever since, every peak summer sees rhubarb treasures blanketing the mountains and fields, shaped like deer antlers with lush foliage.” Legend has it that long ago, a merchant caravan traveled from Chiling (now around Huangyuan) to the Darlag area of Golog. The caravan leader, well-versed in Golog, stayed overnight in a tent. He saw a young girl whipping an old man. The merchant stepped forward and asked, “Why are you beating an elderly person like this?” The woman replied, “I’m punishing my own son, what business is it of yours?” Everyone was shocked—it turned out the woman was nearly eighty years old, and the old man was already in his sixties. He was being punished for not following tribal rules on taking medicinal herbs, which led to premature aging. The merchant, both astonished and curious, bowed and asked, “May I ask, madam, what kind of magical medicine did he take?” The woman simply said, “It’s a Tibetan medicine, from the monastery ‘Rebaoqie’ (transliterated), where it came from—I don’t know. It’s not grass, it looks like deer antlers, and it’s everywhere on our grassland.” Seeing she wouldn't reveal more details, the merchant quickly knelt and said, “I am a doctor from Chiling (now Huangyuan, Qinghai), sent by my family to lead a caravan here to trade for some Tibetan medicines that can beautify, relieve constipation, and improve digestion. It must be divine fate that I met you today. I am willing to trade all my goods for your herbs.” Touched by his sincerity, the woman revealed the truth: “This herb is called ‘Junmu Zha’ (phonetic transliteration), solid and strong, also known as ‘General.’ It can be taken all year round.” Consuming it makes women as radiant as flowers and men as graceful as immortals. Later, the reputation of Golog-grown rhubarb grew larger and larger, winning great affection among the herders. Mr. Qiu Zhihe, a renowned Tibetan doctor from Banma County in Golog Prefecture, specifically described the medicinal and edible uses of rhubarb in his Tibetan medical treatise. In addition to its traditional effects such as purging fire, detoxifying, promoting blood circulation, and removing stasis, Golog rhubarb also exhibits outstanding antibacterial, antiviral, anti-aging, and immune-regulating properties. It is especially suitable for diabetes patients and offers kidney protection. This has allowed it to break free from the limitations of being merely a single medicinal plant resource and expand into industries such as specialty foods, beverages, and health supplements. The actual demand for the resource is increasing steadily, and cultivated rhubarb requires little labor, minimal investment, high returns, and no need for meticulous management. It can be planted along forest edges and mountain foothills, on idle wasteland, in front of and behind houses, or next to animal pens. Cultivating rhubarb not only improves degraded grasslands and protects the ecological environment but also increases vegetation coverage and raises the income of farmers and herders. Golog features a sparse population, intense sunlight, and a climate particularly suitable for cultivating rhubarb, showing tremendous potential. The prefecture has over 4 million mu of wild Golog rhubarb and more than 2 million mu of cultivated rhubarb, with an annual output of 1.2 million tons and an annual output value exceeding 180 million yuan. The market development prospects are very broad.

　　III. Geographic Scope

　　The Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, between 96°54′ to 101°51′ east longitude and 32°31′ to 35°37′ north latitude. It is predominantly a high-mountain region, with areas at altitudes of 4,000–5,000 meters accounting for about 80% of the total prefecture area. The Bayan Har Mountains stretch across the southern part of the prefecture, the Anyemaqen Snow Mountains meander through the northern part, and the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains stand tall in the southeast. The prefecture’s landforms can be broadly divided into three types: mountains, river valleys, and basins. To the west, it neighbors the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture; to the northwest and north, it borders the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture; to the northeast, it is adjacent to the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and the Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture; to the east, it neighbors the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province; and to the south, it lies close to the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province. The prefecture stretches approximately 448 kilometers from east to west and 334 kilometers from north to south, covering a land area of 80,781 square kilometers, accounting for 11.22% of the province’s total land area. Its usable grassland area spans 88.6016 million mu, making up 73.12% of the total land area. Wild Golog rhubarb is distributed across all six counties of the prefecture, but it is mainly found in the valley flats, gentle slopes, and plains of areas such as Dawu Town in Maqen County; Shanggongma Township, Xiagongma Township, Ganglong Township, Kequ Town, and Qingzhen Township in Gadê County; Jianshe Township, Wosai Township, Tehetu Township, Jimai Town, and Moba Township in Darlag County; Zhiquingdunduo Town and Mentang Township in Jiuzhi County; and Jika Township and Dakha Township in Banma County. These areas cover approximately 4 million mu. Cultivated Golog rhubarb is primarily grown in degraded grasslands in areas such as Dawu Town in Maqen County, Wosai Township in Darlag County, and Makhe Township in Banma County, spanning approximately 2 million mu.