The episperm of its kernel is processed for spice and timber. The kernel is processed for oil, food, and health supplement.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Branding counts

However, the increased output was not enough to enable the village to prosper until the China Torreya Industry Association was founded in the early 1990s under Luo's guidance.

"When I first went to Shenzhen, I was shocked to find a plain cotton shirt could sell for hundreds of dollars. That's how I came to recognize the value of branding," Luo says. "It's the same with nuts. A small pack of pistachio nuts with an American brand would sell for as much as a sack of the torreya nuts in my hometown."

When Luo returned home in 1993 no torreya brand existed, but he got a national trademark the following year.

He collected only best torreya fruit from farmers at a price higher than before and standardized the process to produce the nuts, which he then sold in exquisite small packages.

The retail price of torreya nuts has rocketed over the last decade from 20 yuan to more than 600 yuan a kilogram. The nuts from the oldest torreya tree now sell for 10 yuan a piece.

Luo says the future of torreya nuts is in advanced processing.

The nuts can be made into capsules that are effective for the prevention of high blood pressure, hyperglycemia and hyperlipemia. They also contain paclitaxel, which can be used for cancer prevention, he says.

"For old people who are not able to chew, we are developing torreya paste, something you can eat instantly when mixed with hot water," Luo says. "The green skin of the torreya nuts contains essential oil that can be developed into shampoo."

In 2012, more than 100,000 people visited Zhaojiazhen town, but Luo is cautious about developing large-scale tourism in the torreya forest.

"When it comes to the exploitation of 1,000-year-old torreya trees, we can't afford mistakes," he says.

"Some of the tourists casually break off leaves and even branches for souvenirs. If I were the tree, I would be weeping."

Zhang Jianming in Hangzhou contributed to the story.