Villager Ge Rong takes a break while foraging. The economy of Yunnan’s Jidi village revolves around foraging and selling matsutake mushrooms. Nearly 500 households make a living from matsutakes, generating more than 25 million yuan ($3.6 million) every year. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

A villager carefully picks up a matsutake. Jidi village, known as “the land of matsutake,” was the focus of an episode of documentary “A Bite of China.” The temperature and precipitation here are suitable for the growth of matsutake. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

After picking matsutakes, local villager Qi Zhu covered the spot with leaves to prevent it from being discovered by others. Matsutakes usually grow under pine and oak trees above 2,000 meters. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Ge Rong’s family gather for a meal out in the woods. Ge Rong (right) can climb eight mountains in a morning and pick up 16 matsutakes. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Ge Rong’s wife and his youngest son check out the matsutakes they purchased from other villagers. Since the preservation period of matsutake is only three days, Shangri-La city has now set up dedicated matsutake cargo lines, which can transport the mushroom to more than 60 cities across China within a day. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Customers use a flashlight to choose matsutakes at a market. Climate change and overharvesting have led to a drop in matsutake quantity. An official of Jidi village estimated that the output of matsutake in Jidi village this year will be one-tenth of that of other years. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

The matsutakes are graded for their quality before they are packaged. Due to the production decline, a kilogram of matsutake was sold for 800 yuan to 1,000 yuan in mid-July, while matsutake of the same quality sold for only 500 yuan in the same period last year. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

A worker observes the process of freeze-drying matsutakes. One ton of matsutakes can only produce 77 to 80 kilograms of freeze-dried matsutakes. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Ge Rong burns pine and cypress branches as incense the first thing at 5 a.m. in the morning, as he prays to find more matsutakes. Local villagers consider matsutake a gift from the heavens, because it cannot be planted artificially and how the mushroom grows is beyond human control. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Ge Rong’s family is among the hundreds of others who head out to the mountain with food and bamboo poles to look for matsutakes. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Ge Rong’s wife shines a torch as she ventures into the wilderness. The matsutake is generally covered with thick pine needles and oak leaves, which is hard to find. However, every Jidi villager has a matsutake map in their mind. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

A matsutake is being auctioned at the 2022 Shangri-La matsutake fair. The highest transaction price that day was 52,000 yuan ($7,467). Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin