Ding Jie: Expert Tobacco Leaf Curer and Artist of the Leaf

 

Introduction: Ding Jie, an expert tobacco leaf curer from Dingjiaying Town, Dali, Yunnan Province. He is known as an artist of tobacco leaves. Properly cured tobacco leaves are treasures; poorly cured ones are worthless. Watch as Ding Jie transforms grass into treasure.

  According to the Heating Not Burning Information Network: As we approached Ding Jie’s curing house in Dingjiaying Town, Dali, Yunnan Province, our vehicle noticeably slowed down. We saw handcarts and agricultural vehicles carrying fresh tobacco leaves or cured tobacco weaving in and out, making the already narrow road feel even more crowded.   Getting out of the car and walking towards the curing house, we could smell the unique fragrance of freshly cured tobacco wafting through the air. Liu Kaiping from Dongmafang Village has planted 8 acres of cured tobacco and is busy with the harvest. His elderly mother is helping, weaving fresh tobacco leaves onto tobacco sticks by the roadside. Liu Kaiping's mother said, "The cured tobacco is growing well this year, and everyone is looking forward to a good harvest. Ding Jie has excellent curing skills, and everyone is eager to have their tobacco cured at his place. It’s the peak season for harvesting, and the curing house is crowded. I came out to help my son to get the fresh tobacco leaves ready to send to the curing house sooner."   We navigated around the tobacco carts to reach the curing house, where everyone was busy taking out the cured tobacco leaves and sending the prepared fresh tobacco leaves into the curing house. Wang Xiaocong from Zhangguanying Village said, "The fresh tobacco leaves at home were harvested and prepared two days ago. Now that the quantity of harvested tobacco is increasing, the curing house is full. Although Ding Jie has helped contact other curing houses, I still prefer to wait for my tobacco to be cured here because I don’t feel at ease."   We circled the curing house before finding the busy tobacco leaf curing instructor, Ding Jie. The thin Ding Jie had red-rimmed eyes, looking very tired.   Ding Jie told reporters that his curing house has 2 groups of 16 curing chambers, with one group of 6 chambers built in 2011 and another group of 10 chambers built in 2013. In recent years, the county tobacco branch has invited him to participate in curing training every year, and he has diligently studied and combined practical experience to greatly improve his curing skills. Local farmers trust him, and nearly 200 households have booked curing services with him. Before starting the curing process, he coordinates with everyone in advance about the quantity to be cured, but during this period, most families have already harvested to the middle leaves, and the quantity is increasing, making the curing houses still tight. Ding Jie said, "The villagers have worked hard for a season, and during this critical curing period, I cannot be careless. I strictly follow the knowledge taught by the curing training instructors and my own summarized experiences, carefully monitoring the temperature and humidity several times each night."   Ding Jie also showed everyone the three curing chambers modified with tobacco clips by the tobacco company that helped his family. He explained that using tobacco clips is simpler and saves labor and time compared to the conventional tobacco sticks. Curing fresh tobacco leaves with conventional sticks takes eight workers a whole day, while using clips, the same amount can be done in just two hours.   Since 2013, Ding Jie has been appointed as a curing instructor by the county tobacco branch. In addition to managing his own curing house, he is also responsible for curing guidance in his township and other mountainous townships. Therefore, he plans his time very tightly, running to various villages' curing houses with the township's curing supervisor whenever he has free time to provide on-site guidance to other curing house workers. He said that everyone in the county knows his phone number, and when they encounter tricky problems, they call him. He provides guidance over the phone, and sometimes when the situation is complex, he rushes over to help them solve the issues.   Duan Fengyun, deputy manager of the Yidu County Tobacco Branch, introduced that tobacco leaf curing is a critical link in the production of cured tobacco. "Properly cured tobacco is a treasure; poorly cured tobacco is worthless." Yidu County has always attached great importance to tobacco leaf curing work, setting up a curing technician in the production department and a curing supervisor at each tobacco station. The county has also hired 25 curing experts like Ding Jie as curing instructors responsible for training and guidance in tobacco leaf curing. Every year before curing, the county branch conducts layered training for curing management personnel, dedicated instructors, and intensive curing house owners. Through training and guidance, with experts like Ding Jie helping each other, the overall level of tobacco leaf curing in the county has greatly improved, and the quality of tobacco leaves has significantly increased.