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Bai Shan Zu Ecotourism Project
www.baishanzu.info
Culture and History
4.2 Culture
4.2.1 Mushroom Culture
Bai Shan Zu is the place of origin for the cultivation of mushrooms. The ˇ°Kan Huaˇ± and ˇ°Jing Xunˇ± methods of cultivation were invented by Wu San Gong (1130 ¨C 1208 AD) from Long Yan village in the northern part of the conservation area more than 800 years ago. Wu San Gong is now worshipped as the ˇ°Mushroom Deityˇ± in numerous temples in Qing Yuan and surrounding areas.
These cultivation methods are still used today throughout the world and are an example of sustainable forest use, as the people of Bai Shan Zu have used these cultivation
methods continuously for more than 800 years. The Mushroom Culture that has developed over this time has its own language, music, folk tales and customs that provide
visitors to the area with a unique and fascinating cultural experience.
The story of Wu San Gong's life has been passed down through the generations. Wu San Gong was a charcoal producer who lived in Long Yan village with his wife, daughter
and son. His life was extremely difficult as 50 kg of charcoal could only be traded for one bowl of rice. In order to survive his family had to hunt animals and collect plants from
the forest. The damp, dense forests had numerous types of moss, fungi and mushrooms, many of which were edible, but some were poisonous and the local people had to be
careful in selecting the varieties to eat as many types of mushroom and fungus had a similar appearance. One day while Wu San Gong and his son were out hunting in the
forest his wife and daughter collected some mushrooms from the forest and returned home to cook them for lunch. The mushrooms appeared to be an edible variety, but after
eating half a bowl each, mother and daughter began to have severe stomach pains. Within a few minutes both women collapsed and died from the poisonous mushrooms.
When Wu San Gong and his son returned from the forest they were grief stricken at sight of the dead mother and daughter. Wu San Gong searched desperately for a reason
for the tragic deaths. He inspected the wok that his wife had used to cook the mushrooms and discovered several grains of rice that had turned to a dark black colour. He
surmised that the poison in the mushrooms had caused the change in colour. After several experiments to confirm the theory, Wu San Gong informed all the people in the area
about this method of determining if a variety of mushroom is poisonous. This method is still used today, whenever people cook wild mushrooms a few grains of rice are added,
if the rice grains remain white then the mushrooms are safe to eat.
Some time later Wu San Gong's son collected a large number of mushrooms from the forest and returned home. Wu San Gong cooked some of the mushrooms with a few
grains of rice. The rice remained white so father and son sat down and ate some of the mushrooms. After the first bite, both father and son cried out in amazement, these
mushrooms were the best they had ever tasted. They had a wonderful flavour and aroma and left a pleasant taste in the mouth after only a few mouthfuls.
The next day Wu San Gong and his son returned to the area where the mushrooms had been collected. The mushrooms had been growing on a number of tree trunks that
had been cut down and forgotten about, left to rot in the forest. Wu San Gong inspected the logs carefully, then cut down some more trees and covered the trunks with leaves
and weeds to encourage the growth of fungi.
For three years they returned every day to inspect the progress of fungal growth on the logs. The wood rotted and various types of moss and fungus grew on the log but no
edible mushrooms developed. Wu San Gong returned to the original logs and carefully inspected them again. He could see very small mushrooms growing in cracks in the bark
and had an idea. Returning to the logs he had cut down, he stripped of the bark and used a hatchet to cut deep grooves in the wood, then recovered the logs in leaves and
weeds.
After one year the logs were covered in edible mushrooms. This was how Wu San Gong discovered the ˇ°Kan Hua Methodˇ± of mushroom cultivation that is still used all over
the world today.
After Wu San GongˇŻs death, the local people honoured him as the Mushroom Deity and built temples and memorials to commemorate the life Wu San Gong. To this day on
the 16th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar, the people of Qing Yuan, Long Quan and Jing Ning counties hold commemoration festivals to honour the Mushroom God.
Mushroom cultivation at Long Yan village.
4.2.2 Revolutionary History
Bai Shan Zu has had an important part in China's revolutionary history. During 1935 the Liberation Army Advance Division lead by Division Commander Su Yu and
Commissar Liu Ying, entered Qing Yuan County from Fujian Province and began a series of operations against the Republican Army units in the area. In April the division
moved north into the Bai Shan Zu and setup headquarters in the village of Zhai Lang on the eastern boundary of the conservation area. Zhai Lang was selected because of
its geographic position in the ˇ°Green Ridge of Zhejiangˇ±, giving a commanding strategic position over the surrounding areas. At this time, after numerous actions against
enemy forces, the division had only 500 personnel remaining.
After assessment of the enemy situation, the division command group decided to use the advantageous terrain to draw the Republican Army units into a trap.
They sent one platoon to Ying Village to the east of Zhai Lang to capture the local tyrant, causing the enemy units to move toward the village. The division engaged the
enemy forces on the 28th April and in one day of fierce fighting killed over 300 enemy troops and captured 200, along with a large quantity of weapons and equipment.
This success caused the Republican Army to go from an offensive to a defensive position and established the area as a centre for guerilla warfare until the liberation.
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