Cordyceps harvest season begins in Yunnan

Cordyceps, often praised as soft gold, is a rare wild medicinal resource unique to the plateau. And it is known for being part plant and part insect.

Cordyceps often grows in high-altitude meadows and shrublands. In Deqin county of Yunnan’s Diqing Tibetan autonomous prefecture, the period from late April to June marks the prime time for harvesting cordyceps as the highland snow melts.

Harvesting cordyceps is an arduous task, comparable to looking for a needle in a haystack. When the cordyceps first emerge, they are only one or two centimeters tall with brownish color.

During the harvest, many people either squat or lie on the mountain slopes, with their faces close to the ground, moving slowly to find the cordyceps. When hungry, they gather in small groups to eat some prepared food and when thirsty, they just drink some snow water.

Source: Yunnan Net; trans-editing by Wang Yunya