On April 8, amid the golden sea of forsythia flowers swaying in the wind at the forsythia base covering an area of around ten thousand mu in Wangjia Mountain, Wenyu Village, Lushi County, a quiet dialogue between tradition and modernity, nature and technology, is unfolding among the lush mountains and clear waters.

Zhongkang Traditional Chinese Medicine Decoction Pieces Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Zhongkang TCM”) is running at full speed, turning the story of a herb into an industrial legend. From the fragrant soil of the forsythia base to the precise detection of the high-performance liquid chromatography, from the inheritance of traditional processing methods to intelligent production lines, Zhongkang—the first GMP-certified TCM decoction pieces enterprise in Henan—is driving high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine with digital innovation and intelligent manufacturing.

“In the ‘green bank’ jointly maintained by Zhongkang TCM and local farmers lies the code of the rebirth of traditional medicinal herbs,” said Wu Yanming, general manager of Zhongkang TCM. The company has established a joint R&D center in collaboration with the Henan Institute of Science and Technology, improving the medicinal content of Lushi forsythia by 15% through seedling selection and pollution-free cultivation techniques, with an annual output value exceeding 10 million yuan.

Good herbs make good medicine. Gene sequencers in the lab show that Zhongkang TCM has established a full-chain quality control system from the source. The data of the planting, harvesting, and processing of forsythia is fully traceable. Here, science and nature go hand in hand: atomic absorption spectrometers ensure heavy metals remain within safe limits, while UV spectrometers monitor active ingredients. Eight utility model patents and three software copyrights give traditional processing methods a new life in the digital era.

In the company’s modern workshop covering 5,000 square meters, separate lines process regular and toxic decoction pieces. A high-efficiency granulator cuts herbs with millimeter precision, while spray-drying technology locks medicinal properties into micron-level granules.

“With moisture below 10% and impurities under 2%, our standards are even stricter than the national standards,” said deputy general manager Wang Yanzhen. As he tapped the control screen, real-time data on processing temperature and duration appeared. The production line, powered by 11 patented technologies, embeds intelligent manufacturing into traditional Chinese medicine. The smart temperature control system ensures perfect timing in the frying process, and IoT sensors assign QR codes to every product in the steaming process. Behind the 32% market share is the perfect combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology.

From “poverty alleviation workshops” to a “special and sophisticated” enterprise, Zhongkang TCM’s growth mirrors the city’s high quality economic development. The company currently has two joint Chinese medicine planting bases, the 10,000-mu Wangjia Mountain forsythia base in Wenyu Village and the 4,000-mu Donghuling forsythia base in Shuanglongwan Town. It has also signed industrial assistance agreements with the Panhe Village Government and the Mingjie Chinese Medicine Planting Professional Cooperative in Lushi County. It has planted more than 1,000 mu of dan-shen roots in Zhuanlou Village and Shancha Village, and built more than 2,000 mu of high quality forsythia and seedling bases.

Now, Zhongkang TCM is a “special and sophisticated” enterprise, a high-tech enterprise, and a provincial key leading enterprise in agricultural industrialization. It has been designated by the municipal Party committee and government as a “Key Leading Enterprise of Sanmenxia,” a “Co-building Enterprise of the Sanmenxia Natural Medicine Storehouse Brand,” and one of the “Top 50 Private Enterprises in Sanmenxia.” The company has also received honors such as “Advanced Enterprise of Lushi County,” “Outstanding Leading Agricultural Enterprise,” “Enterprise Contributing to Poverty Alleviation in Lushi County,” and “Pilot Enterprise for the ‘Ten Thousand Enterprises Help Ten Thousand Villages’ Initiative.”

In 2024, the company achieved sales revenue of 58.93 million yuan and tax of 5 million yuan, delivering good results in both ecological sustainability and economic growth. Thanks to planting Chinese medicine, 450 local farming households saw an average annual income increase of over 5,000 yuan. The R&D team led by PhDs developed five new extract technologies, and the extract production line under construction with an investment of 50 million yuan will double the value of “Lushi Forsythia”.

“Our aim is not just to carry herbs, but to create value,” said General Manager Wu Yanming with firm resolve. Looking ahead to 2025, the company has set its sights on achieving an output value of 55 million yuan and a 46% increase in tax.

From “a branch of herbal grass” to “a prescription worth a thousand in gold”, every mountain and plant here carries the hope of rural revitalization and echoes the surging momentum of TCM modernization.