Break through the fog and dig out wealth

In the mountains of Zhaotong, Yunnan, wild Gastrodia elata emerges from the soil only a few days a year, which is rarely seen. But he is a real legend in the eyes of the villagers. he became an orphan at the age of 13, made a living by farming on his own, went out to work at the age of 16, and became a multimillionaire for 14 years. When he met Gastrodia elata, a wealth plan became a reality in four years. Look at Yang Xueyin of Zhaotong, Yunnan, how he sells Gastrodia elata for more than 20 million yuan a year.

As soon as we met during the interview, Yang Xueyin made a move that stunned the reporter.

He tied the red rope to Gastrodia elata one by one and locked it one by one with a lock.

Yang Xueyin: I think it can run, and everyone says it is Gastrodia elata, so when we plant the seed, we use this red belt to tie it up and tie it up. When we plant it, after we tie it up, we insert a stick here, lock it with a lock, and finally see if it runs.

Yang Xueyin told reporters that when he started planting Gastrodia elata four years ago, he used these locks as life-saving straws, hoping to lock Gastrodia elata. In fact, Yang Xueyin locked Gastrodia elata not to prevent people from stealing Gastrodia elata, but related to a legend of Gastrodia elata.

GE Changhai, a villager of Banjiu Village, Weixin County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province: it is said to have such a big foot.

Interviewer: is Gastrodia such a big foot?

GE Changhai, a villager from Banjiu Village, Weixin County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province: yes, but there was such a legend in our ancestors, called Ghost Tianma.

Villagers in Banjiu Village, Weixin County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province: because when I was a child, I had a wish to grow Gastrodia elata, but the old man told me that Gastrodia elata could not be planted, because if it was planted, it would be gone and would run. There is such a saying, so we have never had a person to plant Gastrodia elata.

Many villagers say that Tianma can run and fly, and can run several hills a day, but no one has ever seen Tianma fly or Gastrodia elata run. In 2011, after Yang Xueyin planted Gastrodia elata, Gastrodia elata often disappeared. This made Yang Xueyin suffer a lot, but three years later it brought him a wealth of more than 20 million yuan a year. Yang Xueyin said that in order to uncover the wealth story of Gastrodia elata, he had to go up the mountain first.

On December 6, we followed Yang Xueyin here to look for wild Gastrodia elata in the mountains.

Yang Xueyin: only in this precipitous shrub can there be wild Gastrodia elata.

Interviewer: you have to go to a place like this. There's no way out.

Yang Xueyin: there is no road. If you are in places that are easy to walk, it will not survive.

GE Changhai, a villager of Banjiu Village, Weixin County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province: in the past, sometimes in such an untraveled place, one jin to two jin, or even three jin, could be found, and sometimes one could not be found for a few days.

For many villagers, it takes luck to find Gastrodia elata. At the end of the day, none of them may be found. But for Yang Xueyin, if you find one, you may get tens of thousands of yuan of wealth. Following the experienced farmers, we searched for it in the depths of the dense forest. More than two hours have passed and everyone is in a hurry.

Interviewer: can I have this?

Scene: there should be, ran away again.

Interviewer: I don't see it.

Yu Lang, a grower of Gastrodia elata in Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province: Gastrodia elata is invisible. As long as you touch it, like the places we pass through, it will hardly grow Gastrodia elata.

Interviewer: so you mean it won't give birth to Gastrodia elata on the road we walked.

Yu Lang, a grower of Gastrodia elata in Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province: almost none.

The wild Gastrodia elata, which sounds strange, is actually buried in the ground. Because it has no roots and no branches and leaves, it is hidden in the shallow soil under these trees and is not easy to find. At this moment, suddenly someone came with good news.

Interviewer: what do you mean, see one, right?

Villager: mm-hmm.

Everyone was very excited, and all the reporter saw was this yellow thing showing half the body.

Finally found Gastrodia elata, Yang Xueyin was in no hurry to take it out. This Gastrodia elata can be sold for more than 200 yuan in the market, but if it is used well, it can bring Yang Xueyin tens of thousands of yuan of wealth. Whether Yang Xueyin can make this sum of money from this Gastrodia elata depends on the sudden withdrawal.

Interviewer: what are you going to do now?

Villager: take it out.

Interviewer: dig it out and wear gloves. Do you think this is very big?

Villager: this is big.

Reporter: I think you were very excited just now.

Villager: this is a big one in the wild. You see, he still doesn't give up. He thinks there should be some there, but he won't know until he has to dig.

Interviewer: I think he just talked to us and kept digging there.

GE Changhai, a villager from Banjiu Village, Weixin County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province: you see, he is still digging.

It is early winter, and it is the most beautiful time of the year for Gastrodia elata. Yang Xueyin should find wild Gastrodia elata as seed and breed Gastrodia elata seeds. In exchange for greater wealth.

Interviewer: I can't hold a fist.

Yang Xueyin: you may weigh four or two pounds, close to half a jin.

Reporter: is this good-looking?

Yang Xueyin: not bad. If we succeed, the current market price will be worth 20,000 yuan.

Reporter: is this the only one you can do in the end?

Zhang Zuoxiang, director of Gastrodia Industrial Development Office, Weixin County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province: because Zhaotong City is the provenance protection area of Gastrodia elata, every county has Gastrodia elata provenance conservation and wild resources protection areas. Wild Gastrodia elata can be picked in other places (not provenance reserves).

From dawn to dark, we found two wild Gastrodia elata. The reporter wondered, did you have to rely on luck to find wild Gastrodia elata? During the interview, we found that there were some ways in this.

Yang Xueyin: it's a secret for people who dig Gastrodia elata. He won't tell anyone where he is.

Interviewer: he didn't tell you?

Yang Xueyin: if he is told, how can he be dug again if others have poached him?

Interviewer: he has his secret?

Yang Xueyin: yes, he has his secrets.

Interviewer: he won't tell us.

Yang Xueyin: he usually doesn't tell us.

Reporter: where will he look? does he have some experience?