Moss from Liandu district in Lishui, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

In Laozhu She ethnic township in Liandu district, Lishui, Zhejiang province, a moss seedling factory equipped with 12 multi-layer rotating vertical cultivation devices has begun operating.

The 2,100-square-meter intelligent facility provides customized temperature and humidity control for pincushion moss seedlings.

This high-end moss variety sells for 400 to 600 yuan ($59.28 to $88.93) per square meter but demands precise growing conditions.

Previously, outdoor cultivation resulted in survival rates below 60 percent and a germination cycle of about five months. Now, the factory has shortened the cycle to roughly one and a half months, leading to a yield rate above 90 percent.

The factory is China's leading industrial breeding base for pincushion moss and a major sub-project of the Moss Industry Comprehensive Service Center.

The center spans about 150 mu (10 hectares) and includes facilities for seedling hardening, sorting, quarantine, and storage, enabling a closed-loop process from breeding to sales. This integrated chain stabilizes both quality and farmer incomes, making Liandu district one of the few regions in China with the capacity to export moss.

Since 2021, moss cultivation in Laozhu She ethnic township has expanded from a 10‑mu trial to over 1,300 mu across 12 villages. In 2025, these villages achieved collective income growth of more than 1.28 million yuan, with over 80 percent of them exceeding 500,000 yuan in operating revenue.

The industry has provided flexible employment for over 400 people, while a common prosperity workshop has employed more than 650 people and trained over 80 local technicians.

The township plans to expand standardized planting, extend industrial chains into cultural products, mine restoration, and foreign trade, and make better use of idle forest resources to transform its moss industry into a new driver of economic growth.