Xinyu, 6 Jan (Xinhua) -- Recently, this reporter came to Hutou Village, Luofang Town, Yushui District, Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province, when the water was dry, and under the illumination of the warm winter sun, the lake mud was black and white, and the lake roots naturally grew in the silt. A dozen lotus diggers were busy in the mud pond, and they stood in groups of three or five in the muddy lotus pond, holding shovels in their hands and swinging hard in the waist-deep mud pit, a lively and busy scene.
Lotus diggers work in groups of three or five in lotus ponds
Seemingly simple but with a lot of "learning"
"I start digging roots at 8 a.m. every morning, eat by the mud pond at noon, and continue digging in the afternoon. Digging lotus is very laborious, and the temperature in the mud pit is high, but it is accustomed to digging and digging. It is said that professional lotus diggers are digging for "gold" in the mud, and many of these lotus diggers are old people in the village, and 57-year-old Hu Meigen is one of them. He can dig up to 160 catties of lake lotus a day, and he can earn an average of about 270 yuan per day. Usually, at 5 p.m., the vendors who collect the lotus root will transport the fresh lake lotus that has just been dug up. With the increased demand in the near new year and the colder weather, professional diggers going down to the mud pond will not be so stuffy, more efficient and more incomey.
The cultivation of lake lotus in Hutou Village began in the Song Dynasty, and now the planting area has reached more than 500 acres
The cultivation of lake lotus in Hutou Village began in the Song Dynasty, and now the planting area has reached more than 500 acres. The lake lotus here is naturally produced, without fertilization and medicine, the lotus silk is thick and long, and it has great nutritional value. Every year from November to the following spring is the season of abundant production of lake lotus, because the current can not be mechanized operation, the digger can only rely on experience and technology to take the lake lotus root out of the mud with bare hands.
Professional diggers work in lotus ponds
Digging lotus is a manual job, and the tool is a shovel. Professional diggers use lotus rods to locate the approximate location of the lake lotus, and then use shovels to dig mud pits to dig piers to scoop out the excess water in the pits. When digging lotus roots, when encountering relatively dry and hard mud, scoop some water to moisten and soften the mud in order to dig the lotus root out of the mud intact. Digging lotus is a test of physical strength and skill, generally to dig to a depth of about one meter and five meters, in order to find the lake lotus, and then with bare hands little by little the white lake lotus planed out of the silt, to be particularly careful, if you accidentally dig or cut, the lake lotus into the mud will affect the sale. In order to prevent the loss of water from the dug up lake lotus, the digger will put the lake lotus in a boat, and then cover some green leaves for "sun protection" protection, the traditional manual digging lotus, can make the excavated lake lotus more complete.
The diggers cover some green leaves on the lake lotus that has just been dug up to protect them from "sun protection" to prevent the loss of water from the lake lotus
The last batch of "traditional handicrafts" dug lotus people
The average age of professional lotus diggers in Hutou Village is over 60 years old, and the oldest age is more than 70 years old. Hu Meigen followed her sister to contact and learn to dig lotus roots at the age of 8, and began to dig lotus roots in mud ponds independently as a teenager, and has been digging lake lotus roots for more than 40 years. Hu Meigen said: "Before the family was poor, my sister began to dig lotus roots at the age of 15 to make money and supplement the family, and then my sister taught me the work of digging lotus roots. Now most of the people digging lotus are the oldest in the village, the young people don't do this job, it's too hard, we are the last batch of 'traditional hand' diggers. "In the season when it is not digging lotus roots, Humegan works as a farmer at home and does some loose work." Now the days are getting better and better, and I can be self-sufficient. Humegan said with a smile.
In addition to Hutou Village, there is also a group of lotus diggers in Koh Hom Village in Luofang Town, most of whom are digging pond lotus and snow lotus roots. According to village cadres in Koh Hom Village, 86-year-old Zhong Caihong has been digging lotus roots in the village for a long time, and in the past he was the top pillar of his family and relied on digging lotus roots to improve his life. When the reporter found Zhong Caihong, he was busy cutting buckwheat in the farmland, moving sharply, and did not look like an old man over eighty years old. Zhong Caihong said that in the past, he relied on digging lotus roots to ensure the family's life, and he worked for more than 50 years and raised seven children in the family. Zhong Caihong frankly said that digging lotus root is the most tiring job, in the past, unlike now, there are protective equipment such as rubber shoes and sewers to prevent waterproof and cold, all of which are directly operated under the bare feet. Because it is often necessary to immerse in the pond to dig the pond lotus, the humidity is relatively heavy, and many colleagues who dig the lotus root suffer from arthritis or waist disease. Two of his sons had studied digging lotus in the past, and later engaged in other professions.
The lotus industry helps rural revitalization
It is understood that the scale of lake lotus in Luofang Town has reached more than 4,000 mu, and the benefits of lake lotus have driven other village committees to develop snow lotus root, pond lotus, field lotus multi-variety planting, and the planting scale of the lotus industry in the town has exceeded 10,000 mu, realizing winter and summer harvesting and four-season market supply.
Fresh lake roots that have just been dug ashore
Hu Haiyun, secretary of the party branch of Hutou Village, said: "There are more than 20 large households planting lotus in Hutou Village, and Hutou Lotus is a characteristic industry in Hutou Village, Luofang Town, and we are applying for National Geographical Indication products. Every year near the New Year, the market demand for lake lotus is very large, and it can provide about 2,000 pounds of lake lotus a day. Digging lotus people can increase their income by 20,000 or 30,000 yuan a year. In the future, the lake lotus will be closely linked with rural tourism, attracting tourists from the surrounding areas to play, enjoying lotus in summer and eating lotus in winter. Broaden the sales channels of local agricultural products so that villagers can earn money at their doorstep. ”
Realizing rural revitalization and developing industries is a huge driving force and support. Thanks to the help of special industries such as the lotus industry, more and more farmers are on the road to prosperity because of the lotus industry, and there are many elderly people like Zhong Caihong who can rely on the old age and enjoy their old age. "I was too poor to buy new clothes to wear. Now eat well, dress well, and have a pension collar, and the days are getting better and better. The village has also changed a lot, the road is more level, the road in the village is in all directions, and it is convenient to go anywhere! Thanks to the leadership of the party, our village is getting more and more beautiful now! Zhong Caihong said.
【Source: CCTV】