In the vibrant autumn season, we visit Huang Huichun’s planting base in Yuantongxing Village, Tafone Town, Lanshan County, Hunan Province. The air is filled with a subtle fragrance that hints at the bountiful harvest to come.
Hanging abundantly from the branches are charming “little lanterns”—this is the unique roselle, nearing its peak ripeness. Taking advantage of the sunny weather, Huang is busy picking, processing, and drying the roselle.
Roselle, also known as hibiscus, is a widely recognized medicinal and culinary plant, cherished for its beauty-enhancing, blood-nurturing, and blood pressure-lowering properties. It has found a significant place in both domestic and international health supplement markets. It was during a trip to Guangxi in 2021 that Huang first encountered fields of roselle. Intrigued by its benefits and market potential, he decided to purchase seeds and try his hand at cultivation.
In his first year, he planted 100 seeds, quickly discovering that roselle was relatively easy to manage and yielded impressive returns. Encouraged, he increased his planting each year. After over four months of growth this season, his roselle harvest surpassed 1,500 kilograms, marking a successful yield. He sells his roselle at the market for 14 yuan per kilogram, and it’s swiftly snapped up by eager customers.
During harvest time, many regular customers place orders for roselle wine made from Huang’s crop. Once he receives an order, he dries the fresh roselle, cleans it with saltwater, and packs it into glass jars that are free of moisture and oil, topping it with homemade rice wine. Sealed for about two months, the result is a uniquely flavored roselle wine ready to be enjoyed.
“Roselle is easy to grow, has a lower labor intensity and cost compared to corn, yet it yields more—over a thousand kilograms per mu. In favorable market conditions, my wife and I can earn around 30,000 yuan annually. If we can find larger markets, this could certainly pave a path to greater prosperity for farmers,” Huang shares.
In recent years, Lanshan County has actively encouraged farmers to develop specialized fruit and vegetable planting industries tailored to their local conditions, igniting their intrinsic motivation to thrive.
