The China Vegetable Marketing Association awards Datong the title of "China's Daylily Capital" at the 2023 Daylily Industry Development Conference in Datong on July 24. [Photo provided to goshanxi.com.cn] 

The 2023 Daylily Industry Development Conference was held in Datong, North China's Shanxi province, on July 24. 

The conference unveiled the Datong Daylily Standards System, the international registration of daylily varieties, a new series of daylily products, a white paper on the development of the daylily industry, and the new brand image of Datong daylilies. 

These achievements fully demonstrated the new developments in the industry in Datong. The China Vegetable Marketing Association also awarded Datong the coveted title of "China's Daylily Capital." 

During the conference, four experts and professors in daylily production, culinary applications, functional benefits, and nutritional value conducted in-depth analyses. 

They provided professional suggestions for the specialized processing of daylilies, the standardization of traditional product manufacturing, innovative product development, and brand promotion, further enhancing the unique charm of daylily culture. 

The Datong municipal people's government signed two strategic framework agreements – one with Shenzhen Agricultural Power Group and the other with the Beijing Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives. 

Bionintenneng Biotech Group and Datong Wangyou Farm, as well as Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Xingsheng Biotechnology Co, reached partnerships regarding the construction of a daylily biotechnology factory and the development of a daylily herbal tea as a sleeping aid, respectively. 

Datong now has a daylily planting area spanning around 173 square kilometers, accounting for one quarter of the national total. There are over 175 enterprises engaged in the plant's production, processing, and sales in the city. Together, they have developed more than 130 varieties of daylily-based products, generating 4.2 billion yuan ($586.81 million) in output value. 

The city's daylilies have been exported to numerous countries and regions such as South Korea, Japan, and Canada, with the total export volume increasing year by year.

Moreover, the city has formed preliminary cooperative pacts and partnerships with Japan to develop more daylily products and conduct research into the plant's various functions.