Juncao‑powered mushroom industry thrives in Yunxi

Technology has further raised output and stability.

Across Yunxi, internet-connected greenhouses monitor temperature, humidity and light, while automated systems adjust growing conditions. Local materials say survival rates for cultivation bags can reach 99.9 percent, while labor costs have fallen by about 80 percent.

Research has also moved upstream into mushroom strains. Local companies are working with research institutes on liquid-strain technology, which can shorten cultivation cycles and reduce production costs. One local research program has developed strains that produce mushrooms with longer storage life and higher market value.

The industry is also moving beyond fresh and dried mushrooms. Products now include Ganoderma coffee, mushroom coffee, mushroom milk tea, sauces and other processed foods. Wang's company has worked with researchers in Shanghai on beverages combining Ganoderma extracts and mushroom polysaccharides.

Production waste is being reused as well. Spent mushroom substrate can be processed into organic fertilizer or used in livestock production, while manure is returned to fields growing Juncao. Yunxi has developed a circular model linking plants, fungi and livestock.

The chain has drawn thousands of rural households into the industry.

About 15,000 households and 270 cooperatives are now connected to mushroom production, according to local data. In some villages, farmers earn income through land leases, local jobs, cooperative dividends and contract production.

Yunxi's edible fungi industry now generates about 4 billion yuan in annual output, with exports exceeding $20 million.

For Xiong, those figures translate into something much simpler. This year's mushroom prices are good, she said, and income from wages and cooperative dividends is enough to cover daily needs and leave some savings for the future.

Around her, the grass keeps growing, mushrooms keep emerging from the bags, and the Hanjiang River keeps flowing.