Over a hundred kilometers from the bustling heart of Beijing， a high-altitude alpine meadow is being adorned with a fresh coat of green.
However， as one gazes up the slopes， the figures of tourists， heads bent in concentration， are visible everywhere.
People are scattered across the meadow， armed with plastic bags， scissors， shovels， and other tools， diligently searching at their feet for a seemingly ordinary plant—wild chives.
Upon discovering a clump of wild chives， some tourists eagerly uproot them with their hands or shovels. Some even brought pots， bowls， and dumpling wrappers， proceeding to make dumplings on the spot with their freshly picked bounty.
After multiple rounds of harvesting， most of the wild chives remaining on the grass are mere slender seedlings. The soil is churned and exposed， wildflowers and grasses are trampled， and the meadow gradually becomes mottled and bare…
A scene of collective “wild chive harvesting” at Beiling Mountain. Image source: Beijing Evening News
This place is called Beiling Mountain， renowned for its natural landscapes including alpine meadows， birch forests， and wildflowers， making it a popular destination for outdoor tourism.
Beiling Mountain also goes by the name “Chive Mountain.” Every May and June， the “wild chives” on the mountain enter their peak growing season， attracting many to harvest them. In recent years， outdoor hiking groups with harvesting wild chives as a featured activity have also emerged.
Alpine meadows of Beiling Mountain.
However， behind this “wild vegetable harvesting” frenzy lies a hidden threat to Beiling Mountain’s ecological environment—
The influx of thousands of people to Beiling Mountain for the unrestrained harvesting of so-called wild chives has led to sparse vegetation， exposed soil， and ecological damage in parts of the local alpine meadows.
This phenomenon has garnered attention and concern from all sectors of society.
“Creative” wild chive harvesting at Beiling Mountain. Image source: Beijing Evening News
What kind of wild chives are more popular than cultivated chives?
To start with the answer， the so-called “wild chives” being harvested on a large scale at Beiling Mountain are neither wild chives (Allium tuberosum) nor wild garlic chives (A. ramosum)， but rather mountain chives (A. senescens).
Mountain chives. Image source: Author
According to “”Flora of China，”” mountain chives are primarily distributed in northern regions of China， such as Heilongjiang， Jilin， Liaoning， Hebei， Shanxi， Inner Mongolia， Gansu， Xinjiang， and Henan. They grow on sun-facing mountain slopes， grasslands， or meadows at an altitude of around 2，000 meters. In the alpine meadows around Beijing， mountain chives are often found in dense patches.
Mountain chives are perennial herbaceous plants. Their underground bulbs begin to sprout new leaves in March-April each year， with leaf growth peaking in May-June. The flowering and fruiting period is from July to September， during which the mountains become a sea of purple flowers.
The more chives are cut， the better they grow?
When some people kindly call on tourists to harvest fewer mountain chives， many netizens retort: “The more chives are cut， the better they grow!” Is this truly scientific?
Admittedly， chives have a very strong regenerative capacity. The Chinese character for chives， “韭，” is vividly descriptive， like the main stem of a plant breaking through the soil， continuously tillering， with leaves spreading out， showcasing a vibrant scene that aptly reflects the astonishing regenerative ability of chives.
The secret behind chives’ rapid growth after being cut lies in:
- Chives have a developed root system that can penetrate deep into the soil to absorb nutrients and water， storing them in their enlarged bulbs. Even if the above-ground parts are cut off， the bulbs can still provide nourishment for the chives’ regeneration.
- The base of large bulbs can also sprout many smaller bulbs， which will form new tillers in a suitable environment.
- The cells of the intercalary meristems in chive leaves have the characteristic of rapid division， allowing chives to grow quickly.
However， chives definitely do not grow better the more they are cut. Frequent harvesting can lead to insufficient nutrient supply to the bulbs， causing the plants to weaken over time.
When harvesting， it is necessary to arrange the frequency reasonably， leaving a stubble of 2-3 centimeters to avoid damaging the bulbs and roots， which affects the emergence of new leaves.
It is worth noting that the process of cutting and regrowing chives cannot continue indefinitely. Generally， after 3-6 years of continuous harvesting， the vitality of the plants will significantly decline， at which point new chives need to be planted for renewal.
Chive flower fields. Image source: Veer stock photo.
For chives to grow well， fertile soil， regular fertilization， and precise pest and disease control are indispensable measures of refined management.
In contrast， the mountain chives in the alpine meadows of Beiling Mountain grow in an environment with high altitude， low temperatures， and harsh conditions. Therefore， they require more time and less disturbance to grow normally.
Unfortunately， while summer is the peak growing season for Beiling Mountain’s mountain chives， it has now become their “tribulation period.”.
Outdoor hiking enthusiasts are flocking in， with “more people than chives.” Many mountain chives are cut as soon as they sprout， and some are even uprooted.
Under such unrestrained harvesting， the notion of “the more you cut， the more it grows” will only become a self-deceiving excuse for uncivilized harvesters.
A sign at Beiling Mountain reminding tourists of the ecological value of wild chives.
The Woe of Alpine Meadows
Although mountain chives are not a nationally protected plant， and from a purely legal perspective， taking them does not constitute a violation of the law， the act of harvesting chives brings a series of ecological hazards to the local alpine meadow environment.
Beiling Mountain is located at the junction of Mentougou District in Beijing and Zhuolu County and Huailai County in Hebei Province， with an altitude of approximately 1，900 meters. The vegetation type above 1，700 meters is alpine meadow.
Due to climatic characteristics such as low temperatures， large diurnal temperature variations， low atmospheric pressure， thin air， strong ultraviolet radiation， and strong winds， plants in alpine meadows have short growth cycles， slow growth， and extremely fragile ecosystems.
The vegetation here has taken a long time to form. It constitutes an ecological barrier that resists wind and cold and conserves soil and water， and it has important carbon sequestration and water conservation functions.
Baihua Mountain meadow. Image source: Author.
Wild plants in alpine meadows already struggle to grow， and they are also trampled by human harvesting of chives. Some beautiful wild plants， such as the Lady’s Slipper Orchid (a Class II protected plant in China， shown in the figure below as ‘a’)， may be inadvertently harmed.
The sharp decline in native plants leads to a decrease in the biodiversity of the already fragile alpine meadows， subsequently causing meadow degradation. It is difficult for ordinary plants to adapt to the harsh environmental conditions of alpine meadows， making vegetation recovery exceedingly challenging.
Wildflowers in North China’s alpine meadows: Lady’s Slipper Orchid (a)， Lycoris radiata (b)， Polemonium coeruleum (c)， Cardiocrinum giganteum (d)， Clematis maximowicziana (e)， Kerria japonica (f). Image source: Author.
Beiling Mountain is currently an undeveloped wild area， but this is not a reason for humans to plunder and destroy it indiscriminately.
While some are immersed in the fervor of harvesting wild chives， another group， a “Mountain and Wilderness Guard，” is busy cleaning up tourist litter at Beiling Mountain. The contrast between these two actions is stark.
Litter cleanup at Beiling Mountain. Image source: Mountain and Wilderness Guard.
The winds of Beiling Mountain should ideally be blowing across intact alpine meadows， not barren yellow earth.
Only by learning to respect the growth patterns of every plant can nature reveal its most beautiful and true form.
References
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[3] Li Ruiling， Wang Hai， Hasi Bagen， et al. Impact of Different Protection and Utilization Measures on Vegetation-Soil Carbon Density in High-Cold Meadows [J]. Acta Ecologica Sinica， 2025， 45(06): 2595-2604. DOI: 10.20103/j.stxb.202405221170.
[4] Meerow AW， Reveal JW， Snijman DA， et al. (1793) Proposal to conserve the name Amaryllidaceae against Alliaceae， a “superconservation” proposal [J]. Taxon， 2007， 56(4): 1299-1300.
