Ejiao's cultural value translates economic output

An aerial photo of the Dong'e Ejiao Healthy Consumables Industrial Park project. [Photo provided by Hou Changming for chinadaily.com.cn]

Construction of the Dong'e Ejiao Healthy Consumables Industrial Park project in Dong'e county of Liaocheng is progressing rapidly, and the project is expected to be completed in June.

Ejiao, a national-class intangible cultural heritage that has a 3,000-year history, is essentially donkey hide gelatin and can be used to improve blood circulation and boost energy levels.

The industrial park has already partnered with several leading domestic food companies to develop more than 200 "ejiao+" products in seven categories, including baking, meat products, and seafood. It has also deepened cooperation with South Korea's Jeong Kwan Jang and Indonesia's Gin Kiong Group to promote the distribution of ejiao products such as "ejiao and red ginseng drink" and "ejiao and fruit and vegetable juice" around the world.

The park is expected to generate a sales revenue of 1.6 billion yuan ($224.07 million).

Currently, Dong'e county has 105 enterprises that manufacture ejiao products. The ejiao industry cluster has been selected as a provincial-level characteristic industry cluster. In the first three quarters of 2023, the total output value of the ejiao industry reached 4.33 billion yuan, a year-on-year growth of 16.7 percent, while operating income and profits increased by 19.8 percent and 48.8 percent respectively. (Edited by Yang Yi)