A promotional activity for ginseng from Changbai Mountain in Northeast China’s Jilin province, hosted by the Jilin Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, was recently held in Shenzhen, in South China’s Guangdong province.

A total of 10 chefs from Guangdong, Jilin and other places participated in a cooking contest at the activity, making dishes with Changbai Mountain ginseng.

Zhang Fengchun, director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that the event aimed to promote Changbai Mountain ginseng to people in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asian regions, who have a long history of using ginseng.

He hoped the activity will promote cooperation between Jilin province and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the ginseng sector.

Jilin boasts a long history of growing ginseng. Statistics show that more than 60 percent of ginseng in China is from Jilin, and more than 40 percent of ginseng in the world comes from the province. Each year, Jilin exports huge amounts of ginsengs to South Korea, Japan and other countries.

The province has nine ginseng industrial parks, covering areas totaling 32,000 hectares and housing more than 2,000 businesses.

The ginseng cooking contest, which has been held annually since 2015, aimed to enhance the brand popularity of Changbai Mountain ginseng, said organizers.

A promotional activity for ginseng from the Changbai Mountain in Jilin province is recently held in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

A ginseng cooking contest is held at the activity in Shenzhen. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]