What's happening with mushrooms in China?

Join Dr Chen Liangcheng, from Sylvan International Biotechnology Co., Ltd. China division, to discover the answer.

It is said that the mushroom industry is divided between two worlds - China and the rest of the world. It is because the mushroom industry in China is unique in its size, history, research and development.

China is the largest producer and consumer of mushrooms in the world and, similar to the mushroom industry in the West, is undergoing a period of consolidation, with many new and modern farms emerging while traditional farms are receding.

The mushroom industry in China has involved many people from different backgrounds, and these people might begin to play a more important role in the international mushroom community.

There are many varieties of mushrooms in China that consumers have enjoyed for a long time and the way mushrooms are prepared and marketed in China will be interesting for us to discover in Dr Chen’s presentation.

Dr Chen Liangcheng

Born in Fujian, China, LC Chen started his mushroom career with Sylvan in 1996 as the representative to China, being responsible for developing the Chinese market and introducing western cultivation technology to China. He gained experience in the cultivation of button mushrooms, enoki and king oyster, among others.

Chen obtained his doctorate in agronomy, majoring in mushrooms, at Jilin Agricultural University under the guidance of Prof. Li Yu, an academician of engineering in China. He developed optimised cultivation conditions for Flammulina velutipes in bags and feed additives from mushrooms for enhancing animal immunity in his research.

Being in the mushroom industry for over 25 years, and knowing what is going on in the industry in both China and abroad, Chen has been invited to speak on the development of the Chinese mushroom industry at conferences around the world.

Currently, Chen works as the Deputy General Manager of Sylvan China, in charge of R&D as well as spawn production.