Qingyuan county in Lishui, Zhejiang province, has published Forest-Mushroom Co-cultivation: The Qingyuan Mushroom Heritage Application Chronicle, China's first report documenting the application process for an edible-fungi agricultural heritage, marking a significant step in the county's heritage application efforts.

The publication provides a valuable model for the global protection and inheritance of agricultural heritage, detailing the Qingyuan Forest-Mushroom Co-culture System in Zhejiang province, which was designated as the world's only Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System centered on edible fungi by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on Nov 4, 2022.

Published by Zhejiang Photography Publishing House, the 340,000-word volume is divided into two sections.

It comprehensively documents the entire application process through the first-hand accounts of three key team members: Wu Xiaojun, Ye Xiaoxing, and Huang Weihua. Their narratives cover all stages from initial preparation and scientific research to report compilation and international evaluation.

The chronicle features numerous valuable photographs, field notes, and key documents that faithfully record crucial moments and challenges throughout the application journey.

It also provides a deep analysis of the scientific basis, cultural significance, and modern relevance of this ancient ecological farming practice.

According to Wu Rong, deputy director of the Qingyuan Edible Fungi Industry Center, this publication stands as the first officially released chronicle among China's 25 GIAHS sites, the global network of 102 GIAHS sites, and 188 nationally important agricultural heritage systems in China.