Global Importance

Xianju is one of the origins of the artificial cultivation of the waxberry in the world with a history of waxberry cultivation going back more than 1,600 years, It is currently one of the major Chinese producing areas with the earliest written records about artificial cultivation of waxberry. After thousands of years of breeding, selection and species introduction, a large number of ancient waxberry germplasm resources of various types and varieties have been accumulated.

The compound agricultural system offers diversified resources to support the livelihoods of local villagers, greatly enhancing their resilience to risks and ensuring the stability and sustainability of their income.

Food and livelihood security

The diverse cultivation methods have produced abundant agricultural and forestry products, which not only provide local villagers with important sources of food and raw materials, but also strengthen their resilience to natural disasters such as drought and flood by diversifying local crop varieties.

The first choice for most local farmers is to cultivate the waxberry and organically integrate it with tea planting, chicken raising, beekeeping and other agricultural activities in the unique environment with many mountains and few farmlands. There are 100,000 farmers in the proposed GIAHS site, of whom 26,000 are engaged in waxberry cultivation, composite planting and breeding, and other related industries. Agricultural tourism is also gradually becoming another significant source of livelihood in the GIAHS site.

Agrobiodiversity

Xianju Ancient Chinese Waxberry Composite System in Zhejiang Province is rich in agricultural biodiversity. According to the 2010 Annals of Xianju County, there are a wide variety of forest fruits in the system, with 24 species in total. As to the most precious agricultural species in Xianju County, there are 11 ancient local varieties, 2 ancient foreign varieties and 10 modern foreign varieties. Thus, Xianju County is considered as the biggest “waxberry germplasm resource bank” in the world.

Because of the remarkable biodiversity, it has earned the reputation of “plant gene bank” and “animal museum”. In May 2015, China’s first county-level biodiversity conservation action plan—Xianju County Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan (2015-2030)—was released by the local government of Xianju County.

Local and traditional knowledge systems

The comprehensive knowledge and technique system in the GIAHS site is the most time-honored among waxberry production zones nationwide and is characterised by “adjusting one’s measures according to the local conditions, to the time and to the matters in hand,” The farming activities, such as waxberry cultivation together with planting of tea trees, chicken raising and bee-keeping in the forest, are arranged as evenly as possible in each month on the basis of full consideration of the favorable timing, geographical features, human nature and physical properties.

Cultures, value systems and social organizations

The GIAHS system has a thousand-year-old emotional connection with local villagers. The system is integrated with various aspects of local residents' lives such as diet, customs, weddings, funerals, and weddings. The national intangible cultural heritage "Xianju Needle Needled Boneless Lantern", stone house architecture, and clothing festivals are all unique cultural resources of Xianju, and cultural models typical of southern mountainous areas in China.

The most common way to make use of waxberries, besides eating them fresh, is to make waxberry wine. Therefore, the local wine culture is very prevalent. Farmer Management Organizations in Xianju County are called “Tang” (the committee of the whole village). Members of Tang consist of leaders of clans and the leader of Tang will be elected by the members. The core area of Hengxi Town and Qiushan Township, jointly established the Waxberry Production Mutual Assistance Association back in the time of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. On behalf of the overall interests of the waxberry farmers in the core area, the Mutual Assistance Association coordinates the waxberry production and technical guidance.

Landscapes and waterscapes features

Forests are the most dominant landscape elements of Xianju County. It is a region typical of the subtropical forests in Southeast China, and the environmental support for the core landscape elements of the composite system (waxberry trees, tea trees, Xianju chicken, native bees). Xianju County has a forest area of 571.6 km2, and a forest coverage rate of 81.9%.

In June of every year, waxberries begin to ripen. Among the mountains and the green hills, waxberry trees are lined up and covered with green shade and countless fruits of flaming red and purple. Red berries and green branches add radiance and beauty to each other, just like an intoxicating natural scroll painted with red color on a green backdrop. No wonder a poet once commented, “Waxberry trees and kumquats are not inferior to the beautiful flowers in spring”.