Little Sichuan pepper spurs income in Ludian

The plantation of Sichuan pepper or Chinese prickly ash is the major business in Ludian County, northeast Yunnan’s Zhaotong City.

The prickly ash is a popular food additive and traditional Chinese herbal medicine commonly named “huajiao” by locals. When eaten, it produces a tingling, numbing flavor, which is used in cuisines in Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou.

Now, picking season begins and farmers are busy with the pepper harvest. Wang Yunkun, a 69-year-old farmer, and his family are picking green peppers at the planting base in Guangming, well-known as “huajiao village”.

“This year, these peppers grow very well. The market price of good quality peppers reached up to 80 yuan per kilogram," said Wang, smiling.

So far, the Huajiao plantation in Ludian county has brought locals nearly one billion yuan, contributing to rural revitalization.

Reporting by Xie Yi (Yunnan Daily app); Photos by Ding Shixin; Trans-editing by Mo Yingyi