China Agri news #2, 2021
This is the news overview of week 25 from the agricultural team of the Netherlands Embassy in Beijing.
Orchid seeds carried into space for breeding tests
Almost 30 grams of Nanjing orchid seeds were carried into space for breeding tests, accompanying three Chinese astronauts in China's Shenzhou XII manned spaceship, which was launched on Thursday 17 June. The seeds will be in space for three months.
A red orchid variety, Hongcao, features red buds and seedlings, a popular variant from Nanjing county of Fujian province, was selected and bred by the provincial testing center for forestry science and technology, which is affiliated with the Fujian Bureau of Forestry.
Since 2016, the center has been working with the flower research institute of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Yunnan province to carry out research on the breeding of Nanjing orchids in space. For the experiment, researchers take advantage of the unique conditions of space, including cosmic radiation, the vacuum and microgravity to change the seeds' chromosome structure for laboratory tissue cultivation. Eventually the process generates new varieties.
Later, the testing center will continue to research mutant varieties of orchids, as well as cloning and functional analysis of its mutant genes to enhance the establishment of a regular breeding system for orchids.
- China Daily (online: 2021.06.18) & Farmers’ Daily (paper: 2021.06.19)
Farmers using TikTok to attract most consumers
On June 22, Douyin (CHN TikTok) released its data analysis on rural videos regarding agriculture, farmers and rural area development. In the past year, Douyin's rural videos have received 12.9 billion likes, and the income of rural video creators has increased 15 times year-on-year. The report shows that 54% of TikTok rural video clips creators are young farming entrepreneurs who have returned to their hometowns, mainly migrant workers, college students. Compared with the previous generation of farmers, this generation of new farmers is proficient in using smart phones and internet, and has become the main force for short video entrepreneurship.
Looking at the distribution of creators from agriculture, rural areas and farmers, the provinces with the most sources include major agricultural provinces such as Shandong, Henan, and Sichuan, followed by Guangdong and Yunnan. From a county-level perspective, Shandong has the most on the list, including Jiaxiang County in Jining City, Yuncheng County in Heze City, and Shouguang County in Weifang City. Jiaxiang and Yuncheng are well-known for cattle breeding and agricultural equipment production, while Shouguang, as the hometown of vegetables, has attracted much attention in assisting Wuhan during the epidemic. Fruits and vegetables are mostly suitable for short video and live broadcast e-commerce. Unlike traditional e-commerce platforms, short videos can directly show the growing process and the ecological environment of agricultural products, which attract most consumers.
- Farmers’ Daily (2021.06.23)
Flowerbeds for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China in July, Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau will adorn 10 themed floral terraces at major intersections along Chang'an Avenue, to exhibit achievements of innovative development and the invigoration of China through science and technology.
The flower bed at the northwest corner of Jianguomen, for example, is titled The Creation of the World, commemorating the first National Congress of the CPC and using the Party flag as the main visual. At the southeast corner of the Dongdan intersection, a flowerbed titled Going Global was shown to the public. It employs the Bird's Nest (National Stadium), the Ice Ribbon (National Speed Skating Oval) and a world map as the main element, with mascots for the Winter Olympics and the logos of major international events.
The best viewing period with the best color for the floral terraces will be through mid-July, according to the landscaping authority in Beijing Daily on Sunday.
- China Daily (2021.06.22)
