Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.)
Cultivation in the Tai'an
District of Shandong Province,
Peoples Republic of China
Robert C. Clarke
Naturetex International B.V.
Van Diemenstraat 192
1013 CP Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Clarke, R.C. 1995. Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Cultivation
in the Tai'an District of Shandong Province, Peoples Republic of China. Journal
of the International Hemp Association 2(2): 57, 60-65.
This paper summarizes the history of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivation
and traditional use in the Tai'an District of Shandong Province in the People's Republic
of China, and investigates the cultivation and processing techniques currently being
employed to produce hemp ribbon and hemp seed. Recent production levels and market
conditions are reviewed. Comparisons with Hungarian hemp cultivation and processing,
being representative of Western hemp production, are provided where appropriate.
Wild types and escaped plants are also described.
Introduction
Hemp is cultivated
for its strong bast fiber throughout many of the numerous fertile inland valleys of
Shandong Province, Peoples Republic of China. Hemp cultivation in China dates back
more than 5,000 years and according to local legend, the peasant farmers of Shandong
Province have grown hemp for more than a thousand years. Hemp is produced almost
entirely by ancient traditional methods and local hemp farming practices have been
influenced very little by modern Western techniques. However, a modern hemp
degumming, spinning, and weaving mill was constructed in the village of Dong Ping in
Tai'an District in 1987. In 1993, a Chinese-Dutch joint venture invested in the hemp
mill and began to influence the local cultivation, market structure, and processing of
hemp. This article documents the traditional hemp farming practices and current
market situation, especially with reference to the sudden and rapid changes brought about
through the influence of Western agricultural advisors, modern cultivation equipment and
the introduction of improved hemp varieties.
Figure 1. Shandong hemp farmers use traditional
methods to grow and process their crop.
Shandong Province
Shandong Province
is located along the central coast of eastern China (see Fig. 2) and has a continental
climate. Summers produce heavy rain and average 21° C temperatures. Autumn
weather is clear and sunny with an average temperature of 10° C. Winters bring
several snowfalls and average minus 4° C. Spring is often foggy or rainy and the
temperatures average 11° C.
Figure 2. Tai'an District, Shandong Province, P.
R. C.
The city of Tai'an is
located in west-central Shandong Province and is situated at the foot of Tai Shan, the
most revered of the five sacred mountains of ancient China. Chinese mythology says
that Tai Shan represents the head of Pan Gu, the mythological creator of China. His
four limbs form the remaining four sacred mountains in North, South, West and Central
China. The Chinese have made pilgrimages to Tai Shan for several millennia,
believing that the mountain has power over Heaven and Earth, of which the summit is held
to be a manifestation. Confucius ascended to the summit several times, over 2,000
years ago, as have many Chinese emperors. Millions of devout Buddhist and Taoist
Chinese have climbed the more than 7,000 stone steps to the summit; lighting incense,
leaving offerings and praying at the dozens of shrines, temples, and carved stone
calligraphies along the way.
As one approaches the summit of Tai Shan, Cannabis can be seen growing
spontaneously with increasing frequency along the sides of the paths. The mountain
top is nearly covered in weedy hemp that has escaped cultivation and grows throughout the
rocky outcrops. This perhaps results from the ancient Taoist tradition of offering
grain to the Jade Emperor atop Tai Shan peak during the Double Nines Festival held on the
ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese calendar. Taoists consider the Jade
Emperor to be the Supreme God of Heaven and spread offerings of grain so that the birds
will carry their prayers and praises to the deity. New seeds are therefore brought
to the mountain regularly. These escaped plants are of shorter stature (1-2 meters)
than cultivated varieties and have brown seeds and medium sized leaves. Their
reduced stature and seed size likely result from the harsh climate of Tai Shan, but in
other respects they are very similar in appearance to the locally cultivated hemp
varieties.
A different spontaneously occurring variety of Cannabis is found on the north
side of Tai Shan far from the influence of religious pilgrimage. This
"wild" (naturally occurring without the influence of cultivation) variety is
characterized by very short stature (less than one meter), reduced leaves with narrow
leaflets, tiny dark seeds, and a very compact and highly branched growth form, even when
crowded together. Some populations also have very red stems. Wild Cannabis flourishes on the
rocky fringes of the highest terraced fields in the disturbed zone between cultivated
lands and mountain slopes, along paths and roads, and in the shade of trees where no crops
are planted. Spontaneously growing escaped and wild Cannabis
does not survive as an intrusive weed in cultivated
fields since it is removed by local farmers.
Phenotypic characteristics |
Mt. Tai Shan 'wild' |
Mt. Tai Shan 'escaped' |
'Lai Wu' 'landrace' |
'Fei Cheng' 'landrace' |
Leaf shape and size |
light green highly reduced leaves; 1-5 narrow leaflets w/ many fine serrations |
light green small and narrow |
medium green; 7-9 medium leaflets w/ more serrations |
dark green; 7-9 large broad leaflets w/ fewer serrations |
Stalk height |
very short (0.2-1.0 m) |
short (1.0-2.0 m) |
medium (2.5-3.5 m) |
tall (3.0-4.0 m) |
Internode length |
very short (1-5 cm) |
short (5-10 cm) |
medium (10-15 cm) |
long (15-20 cm) |
Branch development |
highly branched compact growth |
sparsely branched | many long branches | few short branches |
Flowering commences |
very early (June) |
early to late (July and August) |
early (males = July 20-25) (females = August 10-15) |
late (males = August 10-15) (females = August 25-30) |
Stem diameter |
very small (2-6 mm) |
small (5-10 mm) |
medium (10-30 mm) |
large (15-40 mm) |
Seed description |
dark brown (nearly black) w/ abscission layer |
brown or gray w/ or w/o pattern w/o abscission layer |
light-colored seeds w/ dark longitudinal stripes w/o abscission layer |
and large brown seeds w/ marbled patterns w/o abscission layer |
Seed size |
very small (1.000 seeds = 4 gm) |
small (1,000 seeds = 10 gm) |
small (1,000 seeds = 12 gm) |
largest (1,000 seeds = 26 gm) |
Seed maturation |
very early (late July to early Aug.) |
early (Aug. - Sept.) |
medium early (September) |
late (late Sept. - early Oct.) |
Sexual type |
dioecious | dioecious | generally dioecious * | dioecious |
(* some male plants start out as females at first nodes, but change to purely male as flowering continues) |
Table 1. Phenotypic differences between the spontaneously growing wild and escaped populations and the cultivated small-seed and large-seed landrace types of the Tai'an district.
In the Tai'an district, the landrace variety is referred to as either "Lai Wu" or "Fei Cheng" hemp, named after the famous eastern Lai Wu and central Fei Cheng hemp producing counties of the Tai'an District. Little if any intentional human selection has occurred and the evolution of the landrace has been directed almost entirely by unconscious selection by farmers and by natural factors. No special selection for crop improvement is exercised by farmers.
Cultivated Plant Description
The Shandong land
race of Cannabis hemp
is almost entirely dioecious. Plants are generally moderately branched and 2.5-4.0
meters in height. The foliage is medium to dark green and the leaves have 7-9
leaflets. The inflorescences are relatively sparse and seed yield is low compared to
improved European varieties. Although some individuals elaborate resin glands, they
apparently produce little if any of the primary psychoactive cannabinoid THC, and the
local landrace cannot be considered a drug variety. There is no local tradition of
its use as either medicine or inebriant. The physical characteristics of the seeds
of the cultivated Cannabis of the Tai'an District fall into two groups; small light-colored seeds
(1,000 seeds = 12.0 gr.) with dark longitudinal stripes, and large brown seeds (1,000
seeds = 26.0 gr.) with marbled patterns. Local agricultural officials report that
the small-seeded variety is 'Lai Wu ' and the large-seeded variety is 'Fei Cheng'.
Apparently the 'Lai Wu' and 'Fei Cheng' varieties have been traded back and forth
throughout the Tai'an District for years.
Both of these seed types are derived from segregation
of the local landrace. They originate from the same fields and both were found to be
equal in bast content (8-15% d.w.). About 65% of the plants in any given population
are large-seeded, about 20% are small-seeded, and (based on seed characteristics) only
about 15% seem to be hybrids between the two, although the two varieties are cultivated in
the same fields. Few hybrids are observed because the two varieties flower at very
different times. The hybrids likely occur only between late flowering females of the
small-seed variety and early flowering males of the large-seed variety. It would be
very unlikely for males of the small-seed variety to hybridize with females of the
large-seed variety since the small-seed males have ceased to shed pollen long before the
large-seed females are receptive.
Several additional marked phenotypic differences are
exhibited that must reflect underlying genotypic differences (see Table. 1).
The characteristics associated with the small-seed
cultivated landrace could result from its breeding with a local wild variety, but this
seems unlikely because the geographical ranges and flowering times of the wild populations
do not coincide with the cultivated landraces. It is more likely that either the
small-seed landrace is introduced from more northerly latitudes, since it matures early,
or that the large-seed landrace is introduced from more southerly latitudes, since it
matures late. Local hearsay has it that hemp varieties were introduced from southern
China, but this could not be verified with agricultural officials. Introductions of small
amounts of seed from Japan also may have been made many years ago for the local production
of woven burial shrouds. Exchange of seed between counties within the Tai'an
District is also common. Although the stalks of the small-seeded variety have a bast
percentage equal to the large-seeded variety, they are shorter, so the overall yield is
lower. Therefore, the farmers claim to prefer the large-seed variety. Despite
this sentiment the small-seed variety is still present in the fields and consistently
comprises approximately 20% of the population. This is one explanation for the lack
of uniformity in local hemp crops that result in uneven competition within stands and for
the production of many different height stalks. This difference in height is
especially apparent in the Autumn harvest season since the upward growth of small-seed
plants is slowed due to their earlier flowering.
Extent of Hemp Cultivation
In the 1970s and
early 1980s, Shandong Province produced more than 100,000 tons of hemp ribbon
annually. (Hemp ribbons are strips of bark peeled from the outside of the stalks
that contain bast fibers.) The author's estimates, based on interviews with local
agriculture officials, indicate that the Tai'an District grew about 65,000 ha annually and
produced about 60,000 tons of ribbon which accounted for about 60% of the production of
Shandong Province. Hemp was widely grown throughout the Tai'an area in several
counties where it is no longer cultivated today. During this time the region
surrounding Lai Wu in eastern Tai'an District was considered to produce the tallest and
finest hemp in Shandong Province. Very little hemp is grown in Lai Wu today and the
vast majority of the hemp is grown in Fei Cheng and Ning Yong Counties. By 1992 no
more than 10,000 tons of hemp ribbon were produced in Tai'an District on less than 10,000
ha. The decline in hemp production resulted from diminished markets for hemp
products and the low prices for raw hemp ribbon in comparison to other crops.
Farmers feel they can earn more money from food crops such as wheat, maize, soy beans,
peanuts, fruits, and vegetables.
In Dong Ping County, approximately 1,600 tons of hemp
ribbon were produced in 1992, and about 625 tons were bought by the Dong Ping Heavenly
Hemp Textile Mill. The remaining 975 tons bought by the company came from the other
hemp producing counties of Fei Cheng and Ning Yong and the Tai'an Urban District within
Tai'an District.
In 1993, the Dong Ping Heavenly Hemp Textile Mill
purchased 1,600 tons of hemp ribbon from farmers in the Tai'an District. This
represents the production from about 1,500 ha. The total amount of land planted in
hemp in Tai'an District in 1993 was estimated by local agricultural officials and hemp
mill representatives to be approximately 5,300 ha. These estimates may be somewhat
high. Estimates based on local data collected by interviewing village leaders and
agricultural advisors, and the trends extrapolated from these data, lead to the conclusion
that closer to 4,000 ha of land was used to grow hemp in 1993.
The remainder of this study concerns recent hemp
production in Tai'an District along the Da Wen river south and west of Tai'an city.
This area includes Dong Ping County (south and east of Dong Ping Lake), Tai'an Urban
District (near the villages of Da Wen Kou and Ma Zhuang), Ning Yong County (near the
villages of He Shan and Jiang Ji), and Fei Cheng County (near the villages of Wen Yong
Zhen and Wuzu Miao).
Field Conditions
The growing season
for Spring hemp extends for approximately 110-120 days from late March (Spring Equinox)
through July (Seasons of Slight and Great Heat). The Spring crop reaches canopy
stage at 1.0-1.5 meters by the middle of April. The Summer crop is planted in middle
June (Season of Grain-in-Ear) and harvested in late August (Season of Limit of Heat) or
early September (Season of White Dew). Spring hemp is regularly irrigated.
Farmers of Summer hemp rely on Summer rains to irrigate their crop. Irrigation from
numerous wells is often provided several times during the growing season. (This is
in contrast to the single Hungarian hemp season that extends from May through August,
during which the crop is never irrigated.) Much more land would be available for
hemp cultivation if hemp was to rival maize or soy bean as the major Spring and Summer
crop. Only significant economic incentives for farmers will revive hemp production
in Tai'an District.
The soil type in this area is a coarse sandy clay with
very few small rocks. It drains readily and most of the fields appear healthy and
productive. The soil south of Dong Ping Lake is heavier than the soil in Fei Cheng
and Ning Yong Counties, drains more slowly, and is subject to flooding. Hemp is
grown primarily on the rich flat-bottom valley land along the Da Wen river and very little
is grown in the terraced foothill fields.
Cultivation Techniques
Seeds of the local
landrace are reproduced each year from remnant seed saved by the farmer. There is no
intentional selection by the farmers, except possibly for the large-seed characteristic,
and there are no imports of improved seed from other regions of China.
Seed is traditionally broadcast by hand at a seeding
rate of 75 kg/ha for hemp fiber production and the resulting stand density ranges from
118-133 plants/m2 . (Hungarian hemp farmers usually sow from 70-85 kg/ha depending
on the seed size and viability. Nearly 400 seeds are sown/m2 resulting in 150 to 200
stalks/m2 at harvest.) In recent years, at the suggestion of local
agricultural advisors in Wen Yang County, a few fields were sown by planting in rows
approximately 10-15 cm apart rather than by broadcasting. In this case, the same sowing
rate was used but the stand density ranged from 187-215 plants/m2. (Average Hungarian
hemp fields are planted in rows 12 cm apart.)
The average yield/m2 of stalks was increased by
60% and the average percentage of first quality fiber was also increased by 60% by
planting in rows. This results from the increase in surviving stalks when seeds are
sown in rows, rather than broadcast (Table 2).
Broadcast Sown | Sown in Rows (10-15 cm spacing) | ||||
Quality level |
Avg. No. stalks/m2 |
Percentage of each quality |
Quality level |
Avg. No. stalks/m2 |
Percentage of each quality |
First (tall) (2.5+ m) |
34 | 27 | First (tall) (2.5+ m) |
88 | 44 |
Second (med.) (1.5-2.5 m) |
39 | 31 | Second (med.) (1.5-2.5 m) |
61 | 30 |
Third (short) (<2.5 m) |
53 | 42 | Third (short) (<2.5 m) |
54 | 26 |
Total (No/m2) |
126 | 100 | Total (No/m2) |
203 | 100 |
Fertilizers are applied
before sowing and when the crop is about 50 cm tall. Various animal manures (15-60
tons/ha) and soy bean meal (up to 1,500 kg/ha) are spread on the fields and plowed or
spaded under in the Spring well before sowing. Mixtures of chemical fertilizers are
commonly used at a total application rate of up to 1,000 kg/ha.
The hemp crop is harvested in its entirety before the
plants begin to flower, approximately 100-120 days from sowing. Plants range in
height from 1.5 to 3.5 meters. The average height of healthy stands of hemp is 2.5
meters. The majority of plants have ceased rapid stalk elongation as they approach
flowering. Upon close observation a few of the plants can be sexed at harvest in
middle July (Season of Slight Heat), but none have begun to flower. (Hungarian hemp
is harvested when it begins to flower and the male plants shed pollen, but very few viable
seeds form before the hemp is harvested in late August.)
Figure 2. Bundles of hemp stalks retting in a
pond.
Since hemp is harvested
before it flowers, no seed is produced. Seed is produced either in fields
intentionally sown for seed, or from plants growing along the margins of fields, on the
banks of irrigation ditches or along roadsides. Seed crops are planted in late May
(Season of Full Grain) or early June (Season of Grain-in-Ear) with the rows spaced
approximately 50 cm apart. Seed plants are harvested in the middle of October
(Season of Cold Dew).
Only one insect pest seems to cause economic damage to
the Spring hemp crop. A small shiny black jumping flea-beetle infested all of the
fields to varying degrees. Few fields were uninfected. In fields where less
fertilizer was used, and crop growth was not quite so vigorous, the beetle infestations
reached tremendous levels, and they skeletonized all of the leaves on every plant.
The beetles must certainly lower yield, but it was difficult to determine by how much,
since the only fields to be seriously attacked were those where little fertilizer was
applied, low nutrient levels also decreasing yields dramatically. Farmers report
that the flea beetles only cause damage late in the crop cycle during the last month
before harvest, and that the fields harvested last have the worst infestations of flea
beetles. Seed crops maturing in the Autumn are plagued by leafhoppers, caterpillars,
aphids, and many other common agricultural pests.
Hemp fields are planted so thickly that weeds are
shaded by the dense canopy and crowded out. Weeding is only necessary in widely
spaced seed gardens. No herbicides or insecticides are used on hemp in Tai'an
District since they are expensive and few pests threaten to cause serious economic damage.
Hemp Processing
The hemp crop is
harvested by cutting all of the stalks at the soil line with a short-bladed sickle, taking
care not to pull up any roots. Bits of root attached to the ends of the ribbons
lower their quality and must be removed later by hand at the mill. Dry soil is more
convenient for harvesting because the shallow roots stay in the ground rather than pulling
out. Branched plants at the margins of the fields are usually discarded or
occasionally saved for seed production.
The plants are graded by pulling out the longest stems
of highest quality first. The top projecting leaves of the bundles are pulled to
first select the longest stalks and then the medium length stalks of second quality are
removed. The short and twisted stalks of third quality are taken back to the village
for domestic use, such as laying crude twine and rope, and do not normally enter into
commerce. The leaves are stripped from the graded stalks with a long field knife
before drying.
The three grades of stalks are separated and laid out
in the sun in a single layer across the empty harvested field for 2-4 days until they are
partially dried. (The Hungarians dry the stalks completely and ret either in the
Autumn or the following Spring and Summer after the weather warms.)
The partially dried stalks are then bundled together
approximately 200 at a time and immersed in a pond, stream, or brick tank for 1 to 3 days
of retting. The bundles are turned twice a day in ponds or streams, or weighted down
with stones and timbers in retting tanks, to keep them wet. Since the stalks are
still somewhat moist, and do not float as buoyantly as completely dried stalks, they need
not be weighted so heavily. The retting water is from 23° to 30° C. depending on the depth of the water
and its exposure to direct sunlight. (Hungarian retting takes a week or ten days in
much cooler water, or only a few days in warm geothermal water.) After the brief
retting the stalks are again laid out on the field in a single layer and partially dried
in the sun for 2 to 3 days. If the initial retting was insufficient to free the
fibers the stalks are sometimes retted a second time and partially dried again.
At this point, the stalks can be processed by two
different methods. The most common is the wet-method in which the stalks are
partially dried and then stripped of their fibers by hand. Small bundles of these
bast fiber ribbons are then tied together near the basal end and dried on lines in the
sun. After they are thoroughly dried for several days, the smaller bundles are tied
together, ten at a time, and bundled tightly for market. This wet-method allows the
farmer to market his hemp very quickly.
However, a very few farmers dry the stalks completely
and store the dried stalks until later in the Summer or Autumn. They then break the
dried stems and comb the ribbons to remove the woody hurds by the typical Western
dry-method. The yield of salable ribbon by the dry-method is approximately 10% of
total dry stalks, while the yield of salable ribbon by the wet-method is approximately 8%
of total dry stalks. Dry-method hemp is of slightly higher average quality than
wet-method hemp, and as there is far less dry-method hemp, it commands a slightly higher
price at market. Bast fiber content of plants of the local landrace saved for seed
production ranged from 5-22% and averaged 12%. (Improved Hungarian varieties yield
from 30-35% bast.)
Apparently the dry-method was initiated in 1986 by
request of the Dong Ping Hemp Mill, but it has not gained much popularity, as it requires
specialized equipment. The mill uses mostly wet-method ribbon but prefers to use the
less common dry-method ribbon. By 1995 almost all of the hemp ribbon was produced by
hand stripping of partially dried stalks. Any technique that will make the farmer's
work easier and free up their fields earlier, so they can sow another crop, is always
favored and becomes the most common.
A good crop produces approximately 8-12 tons of dry
stalks and 0.7-1.0 tons/ha of first and second quality (long and medium length) salable
ribbon. (Hungarian hemp fields produce 7-10 tons/ha of dry stalks or approximately
2.5-3.5 tons/ha of ribbon.)
Hemp Marketing
The quality and
price of hemp ribbon are determined by its method of preparation, length, and moisture
content. Long strands of well retted and dried hemp ribbon command the highest
prices. The price of hemp ribbon is lowest in July and August when hemp fills the
markets following the Summer harvest.
In July of 199, the farmers were being paid up to US$
0.60/kg for first-quality wet-method ribbon and US$ 0.40-0.50/kg for second-quality
wet-method hemp ribbon. By July 1994 it was reported that the farmer was being paid
US$ 0.75/kg for first-quality ribbon. The July 1994 harvest was delayed slightly by
heavy rains during early July, but this also raised the total yield of hemp. In July
of 1995 the market price of first-quality hemp ribbon had risen to nearly US$ 1.00/kg.
Seed Production and Marketing
Seed for the
following year's sowing is obtained from two sources. The largest portion of the
seed comes from fields that were planted for hemp seed production. The second source
of seed is from spontaneously growing escaped roadside ditch plants that the farmers call
"wild". Cultivated seed fields are usually sown in late May or early June
(Seasons of Grain and Grain-in-ear) in clusters of 4-5 seeds at approximately 15-50 cm
intervals in rows approximately one meter apart in order to allow sufficient branch
development and increased seed yield.
All of the seed plants have sparse inflorescences and
even the most fecund have a fairly low average yield of seed (400-500 kg/ha) when compared
to improved hemp varieties from eastern Europe (800-1,200 kg/ha). Roadside plants
have very sparse flowers and even lower seed yield, due mainly to a lack of
nutrients. The seed crop is traditionally harvested during the Season of Cold Dew
and before the Season of Frost's Descent. This time falls approximately between
October 8 and October 23.
The inflorescence is absolutely non-shattering and the
seeds must be threshed from the plants during collection. This indicates that the
Shandong landrace is fully domesticated. The seeds are very resistant to threshing
unless the plants are fully dried. The seed is threshed from the plants in three
stages. After the seed plants are harvested, they are stacked in pyramids and
allowed to partially dry for 2-3 days before the first threshing. The plants are
still fairly moist and supple at the time of the first threshing. Only the most
mature seeds fall from the inflorescences as the whole plants are flailed against the
ground. The first threshing produces the highest yield of the most mature and
highest quality seed. The second threshing of the whole plants is done after the
plants have had a few more days to dry and the less mature seeds can be freed more
easily. The third and final threshing is performed a few days later when the plants
have had time to thoroughly dry. The last of the seed is squeezed from the
inflorescences by rolling them between the palms or by children walking barefooted on top
of the plants. In each case the seed is dried in the sun for 2-3 days to ensure that
it is sufficiently dry to be stored in rice sacks without spoiling.
The farmers keep a constant daytime watch and hang
brightly colored cloth above the stacks of drying seed plants to prevent small sparrows
from feeding on the seeds. Firecrackers are commonly used to scare flocks of feeding
birds away from the seed fields. Seed plants are often transported to the farmer's
home immediately after they are harvested to prevent further destruction of the seed by
birds and rodents.
Some special cultivation techniques are used in hemp
seed fields to increase yield. The tops of female plants are often removed as they
begin to flower so they will grow more branches and consequently yield more seed.
Sometimes up to 90% of the male plants are thinned at the time of early flowering to allow
the female plants more room to branch and yield more seeds. The fiber of the highly
branched male plants and seed plants is too coarse for textiles and is used by the
peasants to make rope, binding twine, and other domestic products.
The majority of seed is bought by other local hemp
farmers who require additional seed to grow their hemp fiber crop. The remainder is
sold in Tai'an city for bird seed. Hemp seed usually sells for US$
0.75-1.00/kg. Maize seed costs US$ 0.75-1.00/kg, soy bean seed costs US$ 0.25/kg,
and peanut seed costs US$ 0.30/kg. Densely planted stands of fiber hemp are sown at
a rate of 75 kg/ha, while maize fields are sown at a rate of 10 - 15 kg/ha, so hemp is by
far the most costly agricultural seed.
Traditional uses
Shandong Province
has a long history of folk uses for hemp. In today's open market most of the first
and second quality hemp ribbon is sold for cash to suppliers and only the third quality
hemp ribbon from short and twisted stalks is commonly used domestically. Sometimes
the fibers are stripped from the stalks without retting or entire small stalks are twisted
or braided together to make crude rope. The local peasants traditionally made twine,
rope, sacking, burial cloths and other domestic items from the small stalks, ribbon and
fiber. The small stalks are used directly for binding without any further
processing, the hemp ribbon is twisted into twine, or the fiber is extracted and laid into
rope. Hemp stalks are tied together to make crude walls for field shacks and are
also lashed together in the garden for bean trellises and light fences.
Neither hemp seed, nor hemp seed oil, is commonly
eaten in Tai'an district. This is in direct contrast to much of China where whole
hemp seeds are eaten uncooked or roasted as snacks and oil is also sometimes pressed from
the seed. The peasants around Tai'an say that if you eat too many hemp seeds (about
250 gr.) you will faint. The resin-covered bracts adhere tightly to the outside of
the seed, and this may be the reason for this legend, even though the local landrace is
only slightly psychoactive. Pigs and other farm animals eat the fresh leaves that
are cut from the hemp stalks and seed plants before they dry completely.
Crude paper is occasionally made from the hurds or
wood. Local paper factories include hemp hurds and hemp fiber to strengthen wheat
straw paper. The hurds are most commonly used to start coal fires for cooking and
heating.
A small specialty market also exists based on direct
export of unprocessed hemp products to Japan. Raw fiber is used there for the hand
spinning of fine textiles and specialty paper production. Japanese traders also buy
a limited number of long straight hemp stalks for fireworks manufacture or for use as
funerary offerings. Long straight clean stalks, peeled of their fiber are used in
Japanese funerary rituals to show respect for the spirit of the deceased. In 1993
the farmers received (0.3 US$/kg) for cleaned stalks.
Conclusions
A comparative
study of the historical and current techniques of hemp cultivation in the Tai'an District
provides insights into the relatively unchanged practices of peasant farmers. More
importantly, an understanding of these ingrained hemp farming and processing methods will
allow advisers to make more appropriate suggestions concerning the modernization of local
hemp production. Rapid changes in hemp farming and processing will follow in the
wake of Western investment in local hemp production. Advisers must make educated
decisions concerning the timely implementation of these changes.