Chen Bingzhang: Turning Polyscias into "Gold" through Deep Processing

Recently, the author visited the product experience hall of the Yingshan Hezhong Chinese Medicinal Materials Planting Cooperative in Sichuan, where the person in charge, Chen Bingzhang, brewed a cup of Polyscias tea and invited everyone to taste it. "This is a new product I've developed by mixing black tea with Polyscias in a certain proportion," Chen Bingzhang introduced enthusiastically.

Sipping the tea, one can taste the aroma of black tea as well as a subtle sweetness, which, according to Chen Bingzhang, comes from the Polyscias that has been steamed and sun-dried nine times.

Returning to Hometown to Start a Business and Boost Local Incomes

Chen Bingzhang, a native of Yingshan born in the 1980s, had worked hard and established an electronics manufacturing company in Zhejiang, where he accumulated his first fortune.

In 2018, during a visit to his hometown of Chawan Village in Xiaoqiao Town, he learned that local farmers had a tradition of growing Polyscias. At that time, the local government was vigorously developing rural industries, which inspired Chen Bingzhang to consider starting a business back home. After more than half a year of investigation, he established the Yingshan Hezhong Chinese Medicinal Materials Planting Cooperative in the village, leasing 600 acres of land to grow Atractylodes, Scrophularia, and Bletilla, and began purchasing locally grown Polyscias to make Polyscias wine.

After two years of exploration, in 2020, Chen Bingzhang leased an additional 400 acres of land specifically for growing Bletilla and Polyscias, and started researching and developing a series of Polyscias products and their deep processing.

In the same year, he established a Polyscias seedling base, adopting a "cooperative + farmer" planting model and distributing nearly 100,000 Polyscias seedlings to local villagers. After harvesting, the villagers sold their Polyscias back to Chen Bingzhang at market prices.

"In 2021, I planted more than 20 acres of Polyscias. Last year, when it was time to harvest, six acres were ready, and I earned nearly 100,000 yuan in one go," said Chen Mingyi, a villager from Chawan Village. He added that this year, a larger area of Polyscias would be harvested, with an estimated value of 200,000 yuan.

Chen Bingzhang explained that the growth cycle of Polyscias is generally three to four years. Last year, the first batch of Polyscias was harvested, and new seedlings were planted on the land after harvesting to ensure a continuous yield every year.

In 2023, Chen Bingzhang built a cold storage facility, added equipment, and set up a Polyscias processing plant. In the dust-free workshop of the cooperative, workers on the production line were weighing Polyscias, tangerine peel, black tea, and other ingredients, mixing them in proportion, and packaging them into small cans of tea.

Liu Longguo, a villager from Chawan Village in his 60s, earned more than 20,000 yuan last year by managing the cooperative's medicinal plant base. "I can work and earn money without leaving the village, and at the same time, take care of my family. This kind of life is very comfortable," he said.

According to Chen Bingzhang, more than 20 villagers work in the processing plant all year round. During the planting and harvesting seasons, and for the daily management of the medicinal plant base, additional villagers are hired. Last year, nearly 300,000 yuan in wages were paid to the workers.

Deep Processing to Create a Unique Brand

In the Polyscias product experience hall of the cooperative, a variety of Polyscias products are displayed on the shelves. "There are more than 30 types of tea made from Polyscias, in addition to products like dried tofu, sesame cakes, noodles, and sausages," Chen Bingzhang said, explaining that as a plant that can be used both as medicine and food, Polyscias-derived products are very popular with consumers.

Seeing the broad market potential for Polyscias products, Chen Bingzhang conducted in-depth market research and independently developed more than a hundred types of Polyscias products.

"After harvesting, the Polyscias is washed multiple times to remove mud and roots, then sliced, dried, and baked to make raw Polyscias slices," Chen Bingzhang explained. He added that further steaming turns the slices into cooked Polyscias slices, and grinding them into powder creates Polyscias powder. In his view, these processes are only the initial processing of Polyscias.

"Using Polyscias as the main ingredient, combined with hawthorn, tangerine peel, goji berries, and other ingredients, we can create different types of Polyscias tea," Chen Bingzhang said. He explained that after harvesting and washing, the Polyscias is steamed nine times and sun-dried nine times. This process maximizes the extraction of sugar from the Polyscias, resulting in a tea with a fresh and mellow taste.

The author questioned why such a complex process was not simplified. Chen Bingzhang explained that the nine-steaming-and-nine-drying process is the most basic, and in practice, the actual number of steaming and drying cycles is often even higher. This ensures the authentic taste of the Polyscias. He emphasized that product quality is the key to market competitiveness and consumer trust.

Currently, Chen Bingzhang's Polyscias products are in high demand in the coastal areas, and he has established stable supply and marketing cooperation agreements with more than ten merchants in Yunnan, Anhui, and other places. Last year, the sales of Polyscias products exceeded 5 million yuan, and the products are always in short supply.

Walking through Chawan Village in Xiaoqiao Town, one can see lush Polyscias plants covering the hills. Liu Xiaogang, the village's Party branch secretary, said that under Chen Bingzhang's leadership, the area of Polyscias cultivation in the village has tripled compared to 2020.

"The Polyscias industry in Chawan Village has already reached a certain scale and influence. We will use this momentum to create a local agricultural product brand with unique characteristics," said Wu Limin, the Party secretary of Xiaoqiao Town. He added that the town's Party committee and government will further increase support to make the Polyscias industry a distinctive feature of Xiaoqiao Town. (Guo Ming)