At the under-forest medicinal herb planting demonstration zone in Zhongxin village, Putuo district, Zhoushan, the 67,000-square-meter woodland is being planted with Tetrastigma hemsleyanum, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb.

Using forests to grow medicinal herbs utilizes the forest floor to increase land use efficiency, and leverages its cool shade and abundant leaf humus to reduce costs for artificial shading and fertilizers.

Tetrastigma hemsleyanum, known for its heat-clearing and detoxifying properties, is commonly used as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine formulations.

According to Yu Yangchang, the contractor of the under-forest medicinal herb planting demonstration zone, the zone has signed a purchase agreement with Hangzhou Huqingyutang Pharmaceutical Industry Co and the economic benefits are very promising.

In recent years, Zhoushan has developed under-forest economies, promoting the cultivation of unique medicinal herbs. It has guided its zones to use standardized, industrialized, and scientific planting methods with contract-based purchases, in order to encourage locals to learn new techniques and increase their incomes.

The city has currently established eight under-forest medicinal herb planting demonstration zones, cultivating over 667,000 square meters of suitable medicinal herbs like Tetrastigma hemsleyanum and Polygonatum. It plans to expand to over 3.33 square kilometers within three years, with an expected output value exceeding 100 million yuan ($13.8 million).