Fruits and Nuts · FFET10358
Lin'an lei bamboo shoots
Lin'an lei bamboo shoots have thin husks and white flesh; winter coverings of rice husks and straw bring an earlier harvest.
Melons, fruits, and nuts and seeds such as chestnut and walnut.
Lin'an lei bamboo shoots are shoots of lei bamboo produced in the Tianmu Mountain foothills in Lin'an, Hangzhou, Zhejiang. A 2022 account describes their thin husks, plump white flesh, and sweet, crisp, tender texture. A 2026 account records local research in the 1990s into covering bamboo plots with rice husks and straw to encourage earlier emergence.
What
Lin'an lei bamboo shoots are young shoots of lei bamboo grown in Lin'an. A 2022 account explains that their name refers to their emergence after early spring thunder and describes their thin husks and plump white flesh.1
When
Naturally grown lei bamboo shoots emerge after Awakening of Insects, while cultivation under coverings brings an earlier harvest. A 2022 account gives a November–May harvest window; a 2026 account gives January–June, peaking from mid-March to mid-April. These differing accounts do not establish a single harvest window, and the supplied sources contain no dated primary account of Lin'an lei bamboo shoots.1,2
Where
The producing area lies in the Tianmu Mountain foothills in Lin'an District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, with local sandy loam and mountain spring water. An April 13, 2021 account records more than 1 million mu of bamboo woodland in Lin'an; this is the total bamboo area, not the area of lei bamboo alone.1,3
How
Growers dig shoots in the morning just as they break the ground, before they grow older and toughen. Covering bamboo plots with rice husks and straw in winter warms the soil and encourages earlier emergence.1,2
Why
Lin'an lei bamboo shoots have thin husks, plump white flesh, and a sweet, crisp, tender texture. Cultivation under coverings allows harvesting to begin in winter.1,2
Impact and influence
An April 26, 2026 account records more than 3 million jin of lei bamboo shoots traded at Qingyun market on peak days. Refrigerated shipments reach Hangzhou, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nanjing, Suzhou, Jiaxing, and Beijing.2