Chen Wulong (left) introduces Antrodia cinnamoma to guests.
Southeast Network, February 27 (Fujian ** reporter Liu Shenkui Li Lie) The first time I saw Chen Wulong, it was in the Fuzhou Mawei Strait High-tech Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship Industrial Park. Unlike most Taiwanese businessmen, who prefer high mountain tea, the pot of tea he brewed is called "Cinnamomum camphor tea", which is taken from Taiwan's "forest ruby" - Cinnamomum camphora tree.
When the water vapor rises, the tea is fragrant, the first taste is slightly bitter, and then there is sweetness. "Life is like tea, there are ups and downs, and it will eventually come to an end. Chen Wulong, who has worked hard in the mainland for many years, now has settled down in Fuzhou, and he said frankly that "it has taken root like a camphor tree."
Landing "farming.
Chen Wulong is from Taitung, Taiwan, and grew up blowing the wind of the Pacific Ocean in Huadong Rift Valley, and he has always been yearning for the mountains and rivers of the mainland. Later, he moved to Matsu, and he could see the Lianjiang River at a glance on the seaside, and the feeling of "landing" became more and more intense.
In 1990, shortly after the start of non-governmental exchanges between the two sides of the strait, a large number of Taiwan businessmen poured into the mainland, setting off a wave of investment boom, and Chen Wulong was one of them. He once invested in many places, and after being introduced by a friend, he finally came to Fuzhou, which is across the water from Matsu.
Fuzhou and Matsu have the same roots, and blood and family ties the two sides together. Many Matsu people have started their own businesses and settled here, which makes me feel more belonging. A natural sense of closeness makes Chen Wulong more motivated. Chen Wulong has been engaged in many industries such as catering, not only accumulated a lot of experience and made many mainland friends, but also gained love here, and his career and life are booming.
After gaining a foothold in Fuzhou, Chen Wulong began to move into the Antrodia industry. "I have been doing business for many years, often socializing, and my stomach is soaked in wine, and my body is very burdened. Chen Wulong once felt that his body was about to collapse, and then a Taiwanese friend came to see him and brought some Antrodia cinnamomea. Having personally experienced the benefits of Antrodia cinnamomea, Chen Wulong is optimistic about the development prospects of the Antrodia industry.
Antrodia cinnamomea, also known as Antrodia cinnamomea, is a Taiwanese specialty of edible and medicinal fungi, which grows in the mountains and forests at an altitude of 450 meters to 2000 meters, and grows only in the decaying hollow interior of the trunk of the Cinnamomum cinnamomum or on the moist surface of the lodging trunk. In Taiwan, Antrodia cinnamoma is regarded as the "king of medicine", which is very helpful for detoxification, liver protection, and immunity enhancement, and has high medicinal value.
In 2014, Chen Wulong invested in the establishment of Fujian Haotian Biotechnology*** and settled in the Fujian Provincial Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He shipped Antrodia from Taiwan and began to cultivate Antrodia cinnamoma with the help of Fujian's traditional Chinese medicine advantages. Chen Wulong felt that it was not enough to rely on the Cinnamomea tree shipped from Taiwan, and that in order to develop the Antrodia Cinnamomea industry, it was best to let the Cinnamomea tree take root in the mainland.
The good news was not long in coming. In 2015, at the 7th Straits Forum, the relevant departments announced that Taiwan Antrodia Cinnamomea would be imported to the mainland, and Fujian also vigorously supported the development of traditional Chinese medicine, which made Chen Wulong see an opportunity. Soon, he brought 50,000 seeds of camphor trees through the "Two Horses" route and began to plant trees in Fujian.
Fujian and Taiwan have similar climates, and the agricultural ecological environment and crop growth laws are basically the same. After field investigation and land transfer, Chen Wulong began to promote trial planting. Today, his seedling base is all over Fuzhou, Zhangzhou, Ningde and other places, covering an area of more than 1,000 acres, planting more than 30,000 camphor seedlings.
Promote planting. The investment cycle of agriculture is long and the results are slow, but Chen Wulong is not worried at all, "doing things is the same as planting trees, you have to take root first."
In the past few years, we have been mainly doing seedling breeding. Chen Wulong told reporters that through cooperation with mainland research institutions and tissue culture research by agricultural experts on both sides of the strait, they have now overcome the technical difficulties of Antrodia tree seedling cultivation and completed a key part of the development of Antrodia cinnamomea industry.
In the early stage of investment alone, Chen Wulong spent 30 million yuan. "First of all, we need to cultivate the most authentic camphor seedlings, and secondly, the seedlings need to be mass-produced. Chen Wulong introduced that the number of seedlings of the entire Taiwan camphor tree is only 120,000, which is far from meeting the market demand.
After raising seedlings, the next step is planting. "Cinnamomum camphora trees generally go through three or four years of growth before they can generate profits. Chen Wulong said frankly that as the trees grow, the income will also increase year by year. For example, the twigs can be extracted from the essential oil and hydrosol of cinnamomum camphora to make skin care products, and the leaves can also be made into cinnamomum tea or other functional drinks. "When it grows to six or seven years, it can also be used as a breeding seed and seedling for the first time, and economic benefits can be realized by selling seeds and seedlings. ”
Antrodia cinnamoma is even more useful. Chen Wulong told reporters that his ultimate goal is to do a good job in the cultivation and research and development of Antrodia cinnamomea. Through the scientific extraction and processing of Antrodia cinnamomea, the triterpene compounds in Antrodia cinnamoma can play an effective role. At the same time, it will drive farmers to plant together and get rich together.
Hope for integration. In recent years, the mainland has introduced a series of policies and measures to benefit Taiwan and the people to encourage and support Taiwan compatriots to invest in agriculture. In this context, what is the way forward? Chen Wulong, who is also the executive director of the Fujian Antrodia Association, has been thinking about this question.
R&D of science and technology must come first. Chen Wulong believes that the core competitiveness of Antrodia cinnamomea industry products lies in its scientific and technological content, and the level of scientific research determines the quality of each product. "The same drop pills, the same triterpene compounds, some extract purity is only 60%, some as high as 80%, different purity products, the efficacy is naturally very different. ”
As for the pursuit of extraction purity, Chen Wulong believes that it should not be rushed. "Antrodia takes time to grow, and it takes time for us to develop products, and I will stick to it no matter how long it takes. If I can't do it anymore, I'll give it to my child to continue doing. Chen Wulong has long been ready to work hard, and now his son has been admitted to Fujian Normal University, and the "script" of the "father-son file" relay entrepreneurial development is also expected to be staged in the future.
Not long ago, the 2023 Cross-Strait Antrodia Cinnamomea Industry Exchange Event was held in Fuzhou, and Chen Wulong was invited to participate. At the meeting, "promoting the common standards of Antrodia cinnamomea on both sides of the strait" became the consensus of the experts and industry participants.
The development and growth of the Antrodia Cinnamomea industry can set a benchmark for the integrated development of the cross-strait traditional Chinese medicine industry, which is inseparable from the cooperation between the two sides of the strait, including Antrodia Cinnamomea breeding methods, quality control technology, functional ingredient extraction, product research and development, etc. In Chen Wulong's view, what needs to be solved urgently now is the formulation of common standards for Antrodia cinnamomea, and the same technical standards and the same set of management norms must be implemented so that Antrodia products can be integrated and interconnected on both sides of the strait.
Fortunately, the relevant departments of Fujian are actively promoting, and the industry standards of Antrodia cinnamoma on both sides of the strait will not be far away. Chen Wulong believes that as Fujian accelerates the construction of the cross-strait integrated development demonstration zone, and the industry on both sides of the strait works together, this "forest ruby" will definitely shine.