Local farmers are busy picking the sprouts of toona sinensis at a planting base in Fangcheng town, Xintai, a county-level city in Tai'an, Shandong province.

"We usually get up at around 5 am to pick the sprouts during its harvest season," said Wang Lijun, a villager in Majia Zhaizi village in Fangcheng town.

According to Wang, he can pick between 20 to 25 kilograms a day, which will generate between 500 yuan ($72.45) to 600 yuan in income for him per day.

The toona sinensis from the village is popular in the market for its unique aroma and color, which is due to the village's high-quality soil and climate environment.

The village's toona sinensis boasts a red color, delicious taste, and rich aroma, while containing a variety of vitamins. It is recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture as green food, and has obtained the national geographic indication product certification.

Fangcheng town enjoys a toona sinensis planting history of over 1,000 years, and its toona sinensis was praised by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), as "the best toona sinensis in the world".

Toona sinensis boats a reddish color, delicious taste, and rich aroma. It also contains a variety of vitamins. [Photo by Meng Guangzi/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Local farmers from Taian's Fangcheng town sort out the harvested toona sinennsis. [Photo by Meng Guangzi/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]