There is a saying in Qinghai that goes ‘Tsaidam Basin holds rare treasures — wolfberries, quinoa, cattle, and sheep.’

Burmie Wong / Host

Wang Yonglin / Legal Representative of Ulan Huimu Animal Husbandry Development Co., Ltd

B: I heard that some yaks eat cordyceps here. Is that true?

W: Absolutely possible.

Zhang Jinxiang / Head of Ulan Hongsen Planting Professional Co-operative

Wolfberries offer local people a path to escape poverty and achieve prosperity.

Dried wolfberries are quite common, but fresh ones, which are as large as small peppers, truly subvert your perception.

B: After seeing such vibrant red wolfberries, we met the pioneer who first introduced wolfberries to Ulan County of Qinghai Province. Let’s hear his story!

Z: These aren’t done yet. They need to be baked for another two or three hours.

Zhang Jinxiang is especially busy every August. Freshly picked wolfberries need to be sun-dried for two days before being heated in machines at high temperatures. Though over sixty, he insists on personally overseeing each step of the process.

Zhang Jinxiang comes from Shandong. In the early 1980s, he moved to Qinghai with his relatives to explore agriculture, focusing on wheat and hulless barley. At the age of 37, he devoted himself to wolfberry cultivation.

Zhang Jinxiang / Head of Ulan Hongsen Planting Professional Co-operative

Z: In 2007, during a trip to Ningxia, I noticed how profitable wolfber-ries could be. Inspired by this, I introduced wolfberry seedlings and cultivated them on 200 acres of land here.

When I first brought it here in 2007, I lost more than RMB400,000. However, I continued the following year and eventually saw profits.

Tsaidam Basin, one of the world’s four major pollution-free and ul-tra-clean areas, is often referred to as the ‘treasure trove’ of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Located in the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the wolfberry fields in the prefecture cover 430,000 acres. Tsaidam wolfberries are a recognized landmark product between China and Europe, with organic wolfberry exports accounting for over 90% of China's total. Eight wolfberry products from ten companies have received quality certification from Hong Kong Standards and Testing Centre.

During the harvest season from August to October, local farmers, pickers from Guizhou and other regions, Mongolian herdsmen, and young students all come to ‘dig for treasure.’ They can earn hun-dreds of RMB, with more work leading to greater rewards.

Zhang Jinxiang / Head of Ulan Hongsen Planting Professional Co-operative

Qinghai’s significant day-night temperature differences enhance the quality of our wolfberries, which are richer in sugars and amino acids.  

Once harvested, the wolfberries are dried and processed into semi-finished products for sale. We use only biological and non-toxic pesticides, and all our products carry green certifications.

Zhang Jinxiang believes that farming is the most down-to-earth profession. What he is most proud of is that he has helped farmers living on this land achieve a better quality of life.

Zhang Jinxiang / Head of Ulan Hongsen Planting Professional Co-operative

Our cooperative pays dividends every year. We manage the land, giving farmers a steady income from their work here.

Our farming is closely tied to the community’s welfare. When our business thrives, so do the people. We are helping to lift local fami-lies out of poverty achieve prosperity.

B: Have you ever thought that wolfberries could be sold outside our country?  

Z: Yes, it’s a frequent thought. I believe the best way to sell is through platforms in Hong Kong. Brand promotion is very essentialt.

Wang Yonglin, who also lives in Ulan County and grew up with yak milk and yak meat, shares a similar belief as he is now building a new business around these resilient animals.

Wang Yonglin / Legal Representative of Ulan Huimu Animal Husbandry Development Co., Ltd

B: How long does it take to raise a yak before it’s market-ready?  

W: It typically takes at least five to six years. In summer, yaks must graze in a cool mountainous area, ideally around 3,300 meters above sea level. They are considered pure green food, unlike those raised in captivity. As a result, their meat has a denser fiber than regular meat.

The yaks graze in the plateau’s pollution-free glaciers, where rare medicinal plants like cordyceps and roseroot grow. Yaks raised in a semi-wild environment have high nutritional value, being low in fat and high in protein, as well as rich in amino acids and minerals. Thus, yaks are more valuable than regular beef. Wang Yonglin believes that while yaks may not be as productive as other cattle, they offer unparalleled quality.

Wang Yonglin / Juridical person of Ulan Huimu Animal Husbandry Development Co., Ltd

Raising yaks is very challenging. Right now, the price of yak meat in China is only slightly higher than regular beef, around RMB1 to 2. If we aim to enter the international market, we need to refine our quality, making it worthy of a higher price.

As one of the five major pastoral areas in China, Qinghai is the largest yak-producing region, with its yak population accounting for one-third of the world's total.  

Recently, Qinghai-raised yak meat and products have received approval for the Hong Kong market, indicating that their food safety testing standards comply with international regulations. This certification allows official distribution in the Hong Kong market. In other words, both wolfberry and yak products have passed stringent quality tests, meeting global standards and showcasing the dedication of Qinghai’s farmers and herdsmen to quality.  

This certification also signifies that they have undergone third-party verification and strict quality inspections in Hong Kong, demonstrating their excellent quality and reliability of these products.