The "Four Seasons Herbal Song" goes: "Polygala seeks Quisqualis, why look for Lycopus when Danggui is at hand. Pinellia blooms in the Dragon Boat season of May, calamus wine brings joy for half the year; in the courtyard, the lovely maiden Hongniangzi laughs as she picks lotus with betel nut; chrysanthemums bloom golden everywhere in autumn, with every shower comes fennel; a lad fetches Guogong wine, drunk under the towering Arisaema; in winter, no shield against wind, Angelica layers window by window; when snow melts and Epimedium rises, white-haired old men hang at the door." This herbal song describes the seasonal climate features while incorporating over 20 names of Chinese medicinal herbs, making it a delightful read. Han Baosheng of the Five Dynasties remarked: "Medicines include minerals, plants, insects, and animals, yet those called 'herbal' mostly refer to plant-based remedies." Throughout the splendid course of history, Tengchong, unique in western Yunnan, boasts abundant resources of Chinese medicinal materials, earning reputations such as the “Herbal Treasury of Western Yunnan,” the “Hometown of Yunnan Herbs,” and the saying “One could sit and touch three medicinal plants.” It is also home to the Gaoligong Mountain, known as the “Global Gene Bank of Species.” According to incomplete statistics, Tengchong has over 1,000 species of wild Chinese herbal plants, all of high quality and exported overseas.
As an important part of traditional Chinese culture, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) represents a vital crystallization and practical achievement of humankind's adaptation to nature and fight against disease. Tengchong has a long history and profound cultural foundation in TCM. To promote the nation’s traditional medicine, inherit the history of TCM in Tengchong and the local “Teng Medicine” culture, and vigorously advance TCM health services, Hengyi Group invested in the construction of the “Tengchong Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum” and the Dahei Mountain Chinese Herbal Planting Base.
“Amid the hustle and bustle of the city, only the museum stands apart, observing from the sidelines, recording the city’s development and witnessing the changes of history; thus, the city becomes deep and weighty because of the museum’s presence.” In 2016, the “Tengchong Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum” was established by Mr. Duan Zhikui, Chairman of Hengyi Group. Covering an exhibition area of 430 square meters, the museum displays the development history of TCM in Tengchong over the past thousand years. Its collections include over eighty categories of TCM artifacts such as medical classics, Neolithic stone needles, bone needles, bronze ware, pharmaceutical tools, massage devices, medicinal measuring instruments, pulse diagnosis tools, grinding troughs, mortar and pestles, and more. It provides a relatively comprehensive showcase of the development and direction of TCM culture in Tengchong over the centuries. Since its opening, it has received high praise from both domestic and international visitors, acclaim from higher authorities, and widespread public approval. In 2018, it was upgraded to a provincial-level museum.
In August 2017, Hengyi Group registered and established Tengchong Bencao Yuan Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The company mainly engages in the planting and trade of Chinese herbal seeds, seedlings, and finished products; the promotion and service of herbal technologies; and the research and development of dual-purpose herbal food and medicine. The company operates under a model of “market + company + base + technology + cooperative + farmers,” seeking the highest quality Chinese herbal varieties best suited to Tengchong’s geographical environment for domestication and breeding. In the process of domestication and breeding, it continuously refines core technologies, adhering to the development philosophy of “based on the base, guided by the market, carried by the product, centered on benefits, and supported by technology,” striving to become a leading herbal planting enterprise that plays a pioneering role in the development of Tengchong’s herbal industry.
Currently, China’s prepared herbal medicine industry is growing in scale, and natural plant-based medicines are a hot spot in the international market, with an annual demand growth rate exceeding 10%. In the future, the planting of Chinese medicinal herbs and the sales of prepared herbal medicines will enter a golden period of economic returns. The global market value of herbal medicine sales increases by 20% annually, and the world’s TCM industry is in a phase of rapid development. We must strengthen the preservation, protection, development, and utilization of traditional and valuable herbal resources. During the construction of the Dahei Mountain Herbal Base, following the requirements of Chairman Duan Zhikui, idle land resources were utilized, the base environment was quantified, an environmental assessment system for the base was established, and scientific research investment was increased. Efforts were made to breed and cultivate superior varieties, gradually expanding from the planting base to the superior variety breeding base, then to the demonstration base, and finally to the promotion base. The development incorporates the concepts of three-dimensional agriculture and mixed farming, taking into account ecological, social, and economic benefits. To date, 600 acres of base construction have been completed, primarily planting and breeding locally treasured medicinal herbs such as Tengchong’s multi-sprout Paris polyphylla, tall Paris polyphylla, Polygonatum (red-flowered Polygonatum kingianum), Bletilla (purple-flowered Bletilla striata), Codonopsis, Angelica pubescens, Angelica dahurica, and Pearl ginseng, as well as various other scarce and valuable herbs such as Coptis, Magnolia officinalis, Peucedanum, Lily, and Turmeric. The company’s goal is to establish the largest planting and breeding base for Southwest China’s Paris polyphylla and tall Paris polyphylla, and to build the Dahei Mountain Chinese Herbal Planting Base into a demonstration and promotion base for authentic Tengchong herbal medicine industry.
Mr. Duan Zhikui said: “The reason I invested in creating the Tengchong Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum and building the Dahei Mountain Chinese Herbal Planting Base is that, driven by profit, many Chinese herbs have been excessively exploited and harvested indiscriminately, leading to many precious medicinal herbs becoming endangered species in need of protection and rescue. I come from a rural background, and when I was a child and fell ill, it was traditional Chinese medicine that cured me, which is why I have a special affinity for TCM. The creation of the Tengchong Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum and the Dahei Mountain Chinese Herbal Planting Base aims to collect, protect, rescue, plant, research, and showcase the history and current state of Tengchong’s TCM culture, allowing more people to understand, love, and carry forward the heritage of TCM culture.”