Foreign journalists learn about mushroom industry, Confucian culture in Jining, E China's Shandong Province

JINING,China,May 31,2023 -- A report from GLOBAL TIMES ONLINE

A group of foreign journalists from 14 Asian-Pacific countries visited Jining city,east China's Shandong Province,the last stop of the "Travelogue of China" media exchange activityon May 26,learning about the mushroom industry and Confucian culture.

The journalists went to Zoucheng,a county-level city of Jining known for a mushroomindustry. Home to over 20 intelligent mushroom business entities,Zoucheng produces 380,000 tons of fresh mushrooms annually,with an output value of four billion yuan (about $564.21million). Over 20 edible mushroomspecies are produced here,including needle mushroom,Pleurotus eryngii,Beech Mushroomand Oudemansiella raphanipies,with their cultivation areacovering 26 million square meters. The output of needle mushroomof Zoucheng,for example,accounts for one-seventh of China'stotal factory production of needle mushroom.

In a mushroom production base,needle mushrooms are growing on a medium made of straw,and bean pulpetc. The cultivation process includes several procedures such as sterilizing and inoculating,and lasts about 50 days.

High-temperature sterilization,rather than pesticidesand chemicals,is adopted,introduced a staff member of the base,who also invited the journalists to have a taste of the needle mushroomgrowing here. "It is so fresh and tastes even better than cooked needle mushroom," said the journalists.

"Can mushroom be cultivated through this way all year long?" asked Mohammad Alef Ansari from Afghanistan's Bakhtar News Agency. And after receiving a positive answer,he said that mushrooms are mostly grown in mountainous areas in Afghanistan,and cannot be cultivated throughout the year due to changes of seasons,therefore he found the approach of Zoucheng much better.

The journalists then visited Qufu,the birthplace and place of residence of Confucius,an ancient Chinese philosopherand teacher who lived from551 to 479 B.C.E.They learnt about life of Confucius,and his thoughts on ethics,good behavior,and moral character.

They also experienced some traditional Chinese cultural activities such as Chinese seal with cinnabar inkpaste,and learnt about bamboo slips and thread bound books.