Yandang Mountain’s two specialties listed in national FSHN agro-products

Recently, center of Agro-product safety and quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced the third batch of the 2024 National Famous, Special, High-quality, and New (FSHN) Agro-Products List, with a total of 782 products selected. Yandang Mountain’s Dendrobium officinale and Maofeng tea have been included in the list.

The Dendrobium officinale. Photograph provided by wenzhou.gov

The favourable environment of the Yandang Mountain nourishes its abundant produce. The Dendrobium officinale has been accurately documented as early as the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). According to“Ben Cao Cong Xin” (New Revised of Materia Medica), a book written in 1757, dendrobium with a sweet taste is considered superior, with that from Wenzhou being the best, followed by Guangxi, and Guangdong being the worst. This shows that the quality of dendrobium from Wenzhou during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912) was already top-notch, and the main growing area of dendrobium in Wenzhou was Yandang Mountain in Yueqing.

In 2017, Yandang Mountain Dendrobium officinale was granted an agro-product geographical indication of P.R.China. Yueqing City established a special team to conduct on-site verification and overall evaluation of the application materials submitted by farmers for the use of the indication.

Yandang Maofeng Tea.Photograph provided by wenzhou.gov

Yandang Maofeng Tea, also originates from Yueqing City. According to legend, Yandang Maofeng tea dates back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty (345-365 AD), with a tea history spanning over 1,600 years.

Yandang Maofeng boasts a unique quality of“delicate fragrance and sweetness,” stemming from its“igneous rock, incense-ash-like soil, and planting in population.” The tea trees are nourished by fresh mineral spring, giving off a subtle orchid-like fragrance. The unique mode of planting tea in scenic areas, forests and amid stones can be found nowhere else nationwide.

It is learned that the national certificate for FSHN agro-products is valid for a long term and an annual confirmation system is implemented. Last year, two specialties from Wencheng County and Rui’an City, namely“Wencheng Glutinous Yam” and“Rui’an curcuma”, were selected to be included in this directory.（ZhongXin）