Yichun Black Fungus

Yichun Black Fungus

Yichun Black Fungus is a product with geographical indication status.

　　Located in the heart of the Lesser Khingan Mountains, Yichun City in Heilongjiang Province has leveraged its exceptional ecological resources. Since the mid-1990s, it has vigorously developed an industry cultivating black fungus in bags under the forest canopy, becoming one of China’s prime regions for high-quality black fungus production. The city produces 390 million bags of bag-cultivated fungus, yielding 12,000 tons of dried fungus and generating an output value of 430 million yuan, making it a poverty-alleviation project for local forest residents. Yichun black fungus is highly nutritious, rich in protein and mineral elements. Its vitamin B2 content is 10 times that of rice, flour, or Chinese cabbage, and 3–5 times higher than that of pork, mutton, or beef. Its ash content is 4–5 times higher than that of rice, flour, Chinese cabbage, or meat. Yichun black fungus also offers benefits such as enriching blood, boosting vitality, calming the nerves, reducing blood coagulation, and easing coronary artery hardening, making it a highly valuable medicinal food.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Yichun City is located in the northeast of Heilongjiang Province, with the entire territory traversed by the Lesser Khingan Mountains. It borders Luobei County, Hegang City, and Tangyuan County to the east, neighbors Yilan County and Tonghe County to the south, connects with Qing’an County and Suileng County to the west, and leads to Xunke County to the north. In the north, Jiayin County faces Russia across the river, with a boundary river stretching 246 kilometers. The protected geographic indication area for black fungus spans from 127°42′ to 130°14′ east longitude and 46°28′ to 49°21′ north latitude. This includes 21 counties (cities), districts, and forestry bureaus: Tieli City, Jiayin County, Yichun District, Youhao District, Shangganling District, Wuying District, Hongxing District, Xinqing District, Tangwanghe District, Wuyiling District, Wumahe District, Cuiluan District, Dailing District, Nancha District, Meixi District, Xilin District, Jinshantun District, Tieli Bureau, Shuangfeng Bureau, Taoshan Bureau, and Langxiang Bureau.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Humanistic Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Topography: The administrative region of Yichun covers an area of 33,000 square kilometers, with mountainous areas accounting for 80%. The average elevation is around 400 meters, and the highest peak is Pingdingshan at 1,429 meters. The overall terrain of Yichun is lower in the west and higher in the east, lower in the south and higher in the north. It stretches 325 kilometers from north to south and 145 kilometers from east to west, forming a narrow and elongated shape. The landform is characterized as “eight parts mountain, half part water, half part grassland, and one part farmland.” Yichun has nearly 3 million hectares of forest, with a forest coverage rate of 80.6%, making it one of the country’s important state-owned forest regions. The main types of cultivated soil in the city are black soil, meadow soil, and albic soil, while forest soils mainly consist of dark brown mountain soil and brown coniferous forest soil. These soils have naturally high fertility, high organic matter content, and abundant surface humus.

　　(2) Hydrology: Yichun features dense valleys and a well-developed water system, with a total water storage capacity of 10.2 billion cubic meters, including 7.8 billion cubic meters of surface water and 2.4 billion cubic meters of groundwater. There are 676 rivers of various sizes within the city, belonging to the Heilongjiang and Songhua River systems. Due to the city’s location in a forested area with limited farmland, the per-mu water availability is relatively high.

　　(3) Climate: Yichun has a cold temperate continental monsoon climate, with long, cold winters, distinct spring and autumn seasons, and short summers. The annual accumulated temperature ranges from 1,990°C to 2,550°C, annual precipitation is between 550 and 650 millimeters, and the average annual sunshine duration is 2,390.8 hours. The frost-free period lasts 90–125 days per year, making it suitable for the growth of most northern crops, especially highly favorable for cultivating black fungus.

　　(4) Humanistic and Historical Factors: Yichun started black fungus production early and on a large scale. Wild harvesting began in the 1960s and 1970s, log cultivation was carried out in the 1980s, and bag cultivation has been ongoing since the 1990s until today. In 2008, the production volume reached 460 million bags, ranking first in Heilongjiang Province, with 14 forestry bureaus producing over 10 million bags each. Four enterprises in the city have obtained organic and green food certifications for their black fungus products. A preliminary industrial cluster has formed, centered on black fungus cultivation and extending to spawn production, machinery manufacturing, supply of production materials, technical promotion, and product sales—each component supporting and driving the others in a black economy industrial group.

　　Historically, there is a saying: “Fungus in the south, black fungus in the north.” With its cool climate and significant day-night temperature differences, Yichun is conducive to the accumulation of dry matter. As a wood-decay fungus, Yichun black fungus is produced using broadleaf sawdust such as oak and linden, aligning with its natural characteristics. Compared to southern products, Yichun’s black fungus is thicker and richer in color when dried, more nutritious, bouncier and glossier when soaked, and smoother and finer in texture when consumed—ranking it among the best black fungus products in China. Yichun-produced black fungus is also a health food for textile workers.