A happy villager harvests lingzhi mushrooms at Meidi village in Lishui city. [Photo provided to Chinadaily.com.cn]

Sept 23 marks the Autumn Equinox, one of the 24 solar terms, and the 8th Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival.

In Meidi village, Longquan —  a county-level city of Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province — the lingzhi mushrooms, also known as Ganoderma lucidum, a medicinal fungus, are currently in the middle of the harvest season.

What sets Meidi village apart is the exceptional quality of its lingzhi. The village's unique natural environment — characterized by high forest coverage, significant temperature fluctuations between day and night and nutrient-rich soil  — creates the perfect conditions for cultivating this prized delicacy.

Lingzhi cultivation in Meilin dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) when the villagers perfected the art of log-cultivation for Ganoderma, a tradition passed down through generations via families, master-apprentice relationships and oral histories.

Xiang Yongnian, a Ganoderma farmer from the village, has built upon his ancestors' legacy by collecting wild Ganoderma spores from the mountains. He transplants these spores onto logs within the village, allowing them to flourish naturally in the surrounding forest.

His efforts have transformed over 133 hectares of public welfare forest into a thriving Ganoderma valley for semi-wild cultivation, providing employment for 120 local forest farmers and boosting their annual incomes by 10,000 yuan ($1,405.5) per person.

To share the wonders of lingzhi with the world, Meidi has embraced an approach integrating traditional agriculture and cultural tourism.

The village now boasts a Ganoderma culture museum, research institute and exhibition and sales hall, allowing visitors to explore and learn about this fascinating mushroom.