Bee business abuzz in Gaoqing county

Products from a local bee farm in Gaoqing county – administered by Zibo city in East China's Shandong province – are now attracting swarms of customers.

The farm is operated by Cheng Yuxi and his wife Fang Liangyun and they have been raising native bees for 36 years. They move five or six times and travel more than 1,000 kilometers every year to obtain the best nectar.

The couple established the Xiyun Bee Breeding Professional cooperative in 2016. The main products are honey, royal jelly, honey gelatin cream and honey pear cream sugar. To broaden their sales channels, they also run an online shop to increase the revenue from live streaming.

The couple is said to be generous in sharing their bee breeding knowledge with young farmers who ask for advice. They have helped five local farmers to build bee farms and become prosperous.

Cheng Yuxi was named the best beekeeper in Zibo by the Zibo Bee Products Association in December 2021.

Their native bee and honey gathering techniques were listed as an intangible cultural heritage item by the city in April 2022.