"Golden Leaf of Wealth" Goes Global from Sangzhi County

The 2026 Hunan Geographical Indication (GI) "Gifts from the Land" International Communication Press Tour recently reached Sangzhi County, the "land of Chinese bamboo leaves for making zongzi (zongzi leaves)." The tour witnessed how lush green bamboo leaves growing in remote mountains transform into "golden leaves" for export.

Rolling mountains in Sangzhi County are covered with wild zongzi leaf plants.

Sangzhi County, located at the northern foot of Wuling Mountain, is one of 17 key biodiversity areas of global significance in China, hailed as a "gene bank of rare species." Its high-altitude cold mountain areas over 800 meters nurture 270,000 mu (18,009 hectares) of dense wild zongzi leaf forests. The zongzi leaves there are thick, flexible, fragrant, and resistant to boiling and soaking, with quality far surpassing other zongzi leaf products.

Workers sort bamboo leaves at a zongzi leaf production workshop in Sangzhi County.

Leveraging its advantages, Sangzhi County has been vigorously advancing the zongzi leaf industry. In 2025, the total zongzi leaf output reached 20,000 tonnes, with an annual production of 1.4 billion zongzi leaves, and the comprehensive annual output value of the zongzi leaf industry reached 345 million CNY. Sangzhi's zongzi leaves account for 80% of China's market. From January to August this year, Sangzhi's zongzi leaf exports reached 3.3 million CNY, a year-on-year increase of 155%.

How did these wild leaves grown in the mountains become sought-after overseas? In 2021, "Sangzhi Zongzi Leaf" obtained the national GI certification trademark. Leveraging this golden signboard, Sangzhi County has adopted an "associations + enterprises + cooperatives + farmers" model to connect the entire industrial chain of picking, purchasing, processing, and sales, greatly enhancing the added value and market influence of the products. Its zongzi leaves are exported to 16 countries and regions including Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia.

GI product Sangzhi zongzi leaves are ready for export.

Gu Xianggang, director of the Sangzhi County Market Supervision Administration, said that relying on the unique resource advantage of zongzi leaves, Sangzhi County has listed the zongzi leaf industry as a key industry. At the same time, it has seized the opportunity of targeted assistance from the National Intellectual Property Administration, fully supporting industrial development in terms of funds, policies, and infrastructure. It aims to strengthen brand building, create the "Sangzhi Zongzi Leaf" public brand, drive the zongzi leaf industry, and use geographical indications to empower its lucid waters and lush mountains.

Artificially cultivated zongzi leaves.

To adapt to expanding market demand and higher quality requirements, Sangzhi County has also attempted artificial cultivation of zongzi leaves. The Hunan Academy of Forestry provides cultivation and management technology, formulating unified county-wide technical standards for cultivation and quality improvement of natural zongzi leaves. This has helped ensure a stable supply for GI products. Currently, Sangzhi has built 30,000 mu (about 2,000 hectares) of standardized artificial cultivation bases for zongzi leaves.

Four large-scale zongzi leaf enterprises in Sangzhi jointly established the Sangzhi County Zongzi Leaf Association to manage the public brand "Sangzhi Zongzi Leaf" and build an international reputation. With government assistance, the enterprises identified international standard requirements, and continuously improved production technology, developed zongzi leaf-based spices, cosmetics, chemical products, and medical and health products, enhancing the added value of the zongzi leaf industry and exploring more possibilities in overseas markets.

Local people share both risks and benefits, thriving on "Sangzhi Zongzi Leaf."

"We signed letters of intent for long-term cooperation with food enterprises in Malaysia, Singapore, and other countries, and are planning to expand into European and American markets," said Peng Chunhua, vice chairperson of the Sangzhi County Zongzi Leaf Association and general manager of Zhangjiajie Kanghua Industrial Co., Ltd (Kanghua). Sangzhi zongzi leaves, cultivated through standardized planting and processed with patented preservation technology, are widely sought-after in the market for their high quality, and have won several international certifications.

In 2024, under the guidance of the National Intellectual Property Administration and the Sangzhi County People's Government, Kanghua, with the authorization for using the "Sangzhi Zongzi Leaf" GI symbol, was recognized as a national-level leading enterprise in agricultural modernization. Relying on the GI product to benefit farmers and strengthen the industry's foundations, it has helped 36 local villages develop artificial cultivation of zongzi leaves through risk and benefit sharing.

Sangzhi zongzi leaves and their derived products.

These "golden leaves" in deep mountains are sailing ever further into global markets, and have carved out a county-level development path of "intellectual property protection + characteristic industry + rural revitalization." Moving forward, Sangzhi County will strive to build a national-level GI product protection demonstration zone, allowing Sangzhi zongzi leaves—"golden leaves of wealth"— to flourish overseas.

Chinese source: Chinanews