Recently, farmers at the Gua Lou Base in Tiejia’ya Village, Donggong Town, Nanzhang County, have been busy drying and processing Gua Lou (Fructus Trichosanthis). A scene of bustling harvest activity unfolds, brimming with abundance and productivity.

In 2025, the county adopted a development model of “cooperatives + bases + farmers,” fully leveraging the demonstrative and leading role of the Nanzhang Hesheng Cooperative. By providing unified seedlings, technical guidance, production standards, and marketing services, this initiative has effectively driven Gua Lou cultivation among farmers in seven towns—Donggong, Xunjian, Xiaoyan, Chengguan, Wuan, Jiuji, and Limiao. With the cooperatives’ outreach, the county’s total Gua Lou planting area has exceeded 6,000 mu, generating a total output value of more than 36 million yuan. The Gua Lou industry has created employment opportunities for approximately 4,000 local workers throughout the county, enabling them to secure jobs close to home. This has significantly increased farmers’ wage income and generated substantial spillover effects, contributing positively to the overall development of the local economy.

Photo by Li Shiguo, Xiang Dehua, and Xiong Mingyin