‘From Beijing to the mountains: finally feeling human again’

This episode of Food Talk is a casual conversation recorded at “Ji Shi”, the physical store of the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market in Sanyuanqiao. We are joined by two old friends: Kang Li and Jin Peng. One is an Yi woman from Chuxiong, Yunnan, who funded her education through the mushrooms and matsutake of the mountains; the other is a “wild food” practitioner from the Greater Khingan Mountains in the Northeast, who left the city for the forest and has supported himself through mountain foraging for over a decade.

In this episode, these two foragers from the north and south discuss the genuine labour behind wild mountain produce, their close bonds with village elders, and the struggles and hopes of agriculture in the face of climate change. While their lives may seem “rustic”, they touch upon many inescapable issues of modern society: trust, income, labour, pricing logic, and the question of what it is we are truly seeking in the food we eat.

This is a genuine, unscripted dialogue—a collection of stories about “making a living from the mountains”.

We invite you to listen to this episode and step into their daily lives in the wilderness. This is also the first instalment of the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market’s 15th-anniversary dialogue series. Please stay tuned for more fascinating conversations.

This / Episode’s / Guest

Jin Peng

Currently lives and works in Huyuan, a town in the Greater Khingan Mountains forest region. He has collaborated with local foragers to harvest wild ingredients for 15 years. A lover of forest life, he enjoys heading into the mountains to forage for various delicacies while observing and documenting this pristine northern town.

Kang Li

An Yi woman born in 1992. After graduating from high school, she worked in rural reconstruction in Kunming and Beijing. In late 2015, she decided to root herself in the countryside for life and returned to Chuxiong, Yunnan to start her own business. She established two platforms, “Kang Li Local Produce” and “Happy Home”, to sell produce that supports sustainable local harvesting and cultural heritage.

This / Episode’s / Host

Tian Le

Convener of the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market and founding editor of Foodthink.

Timeline

01:05 Reminiscing on first meetings: Among the earliest vendors at the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market 15 years ago

02:48 Why return to the mountains? The choices of two young people returning home

04:04 What is ‘mountain foraging’? The origins of matsutake, wild mushrooms, and mountain produce

14:26 Do locals also prefer wild mountain produce?

19:09 How is mountain produce priced? Not by market fluctuations, but by ensuring a basic income for the foragers

24:51 ‘This isn’t an excessive profit’ — responding when customers say it’s too expensive

27:10 The current state of mountain villages: From 100 households to 80 in Yunnan, and small towns in the Northeast with only 2,000 residents — who is still working the land?

33:59 Can climate change be felt through mountain foraging?

37:25 Mountains contracted to ‘bosses’: The struggle for free foraging

40:15 Coming home from the mountain is only a third of the work

56:46 Encountering bears while foraging? Wild doesn’t mean easy: The risks, hardships, and intricacies of mountain harvesting

61:07 Hardship and foraging: Is it a dying industry? Inner freedom may be the reason for persisting

Kang Li lives deep in the mountains of Yunnan. The pristine environment is an ideal habitat for wild termite mushrooms. The scenery on the way to foraging is breathtaking, with towering mountains behind and the Jinsha River flowing below.

Jin Peng, who has been foraging in the Greater Khingan Mountains for 15 years.

The beautiful Greater Khingan Mountains are rich in resources and far from pollution, with forest coverage exceeding 80%. Foraged products grow in a natural environment, free from human intervention or management.

Various mushrooms, Scutellaria, roses, and rose hips air-drying naturally.

Mountain foraging seems to bring more than just natural food from the primeval forest; it brings the scent and energy of the woods, along with the joy and relaxation experienced by the local foragers during their work.

Related Reading ▼

Matsutake and Three Generations of the Yi People: Thirty Years

From the Greater Khingan Mountains to the Yi Highlands: A Dialogue between Foragers from the North and South | Event Preview

Not every mushroom is a ‘Junzi’ | A quest for mushrooms in Yunnan’s markets

A supply chain as ‘wild’ as the mushrooms themselves is destroying the natural habitat of wild fungi

In Shangri-La, we went up the mountain to share two meals with our Lisu neighbours

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Unless otherwise stated,

all images were provided by this episode’s guests

Music: Ba Nong

Production: Xiao Jing

Planning: Wen Jing

Editing: Tian Le

Contact email: xiaojing@foodthink.cn

‘From Beijing to the mountains: finally feeling human again’ | Food Talk Vol.51

This / Episode’s / Guest

This / Episode’s / Host

Timeline

Published by Foodthink