120,000 Chinese people go to worship a giant mushroom

[Deleted]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-mushroom.html

Nearly 120,000 people have travelled to a small town in southern China in the past few days to worship an enormous mushroom for good fortune.

Keen visitors threw coins and notes to the extraordinary wild fungus, which is nearly one metre tall and 40cm (16 inches) wide.

The mushroom, which has been identified to be edible by experts, was discovered by an 81-year-old man while mushroom hunting in south-west China's Yunnan Province.

The elderly man, surnamed Liu, told Yunnan.cn that he saw the white-capped mushroom emerging from the ground on October 19 and was shocked to see how fast the mushroom had grown two days later.

He told his neighbours at the Luoqiping village in Tengchong City about the mushroom and they set up a fence around the fungi as protection.

The villagers then nicknamed the mushroom as 'elephant foot'.

Pictures and videos emerged on Chinese social media as the villagers asked for the edibility and name of the mushroom.

Measuring 83.5 centimetres (2.7 ft) long, The long stem and huge fruiting body were reaching to a height of a two-year-old child.

The gills and the shape of the cap look like those of oyster mushrooms.

Yang Zhuliang, researcher at Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, told the reporter that the enormous fungi was Macrocybe gigantea, a non-toxic mushroom that can be commonly found in India and Pakistan.

Characterised by the large fruiting body and long stem, the wild Macrocybe gigantea is safe to eat.

Xu Jianchu, an expert at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, confirmed to MailOnline the mushroom belongs to the Calocybe fungi family and is edible.

According to China News, the mushroom has attracted an average of 30,000 visitors a day since it was discovered on October 19.

The local public transport authority had to put up a signage, reading 'Luoqiping mushroom trip', on the windows of their vehicles to give tourists a guidance to the village.

There were also people throwing coins and money notes at the wild mushroom in a bid to wish for good luck and fortune.

Yao MaoKe, a tourist told the reporter: 'I went to see the giant mushroom few days ago. The place was packed, but there were people maintaining public order as well.'

However, the mushroom can be seen starting to rot a few days after it was found.

Tengyue local government confirmed to China News that the villagers agreed to pull out the fungi and donate to Tengchong Wild Plants and Animals Protection to make as preserved plant specimen.

The giant fungi was removed at midnight hours on October 25 by the villager and passed it to the authority.

[Arrashi]

Ancient chinese magic sure is amazing.

[gushDH]

I don't know the official name, but it's something like tourism marketing. You show something as worth visiting, thus making tourists go and give their money there.

[XDurionX]

And millions of white people worship an invisible sky daddy, what's the difference?

[Deleted]

I like one of the comments of that page.

they slaughter & torture animals, but worship fungi!

[HumbleDuck]

120k translates to around 28k in US, still less of a disaster that the secret was.

[Lagwin]

Not the first time "mushrooms" have been in the news over there, but at least this time it isn't a guys sex toy.

[Deleted]

I must admit: It's a pretty impressive mushroom.

[primalmatter]

Long as they don't start exploding let them do as they please.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

If its what makes them happy. Not like its hurting anyone yet. If the mushroom suddenly starts "ordering" them to clean the world of nonbelievers than we have a problem.

[Vouksh89]

Am I the only one who gets creeped out by mushrooms? I opened that link, saw the picture, and had to close the tab. Sends shivers down my spine... Especially with it being that big. Blugh.

[Deleted]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-mushroom.html

Nearly 120,000 people have travelled to a small town in southern China in the past few days to worship an enormous mushroom for good fortune.

Keen visitors threw coins and notes to the extraordinary wild fungus, which is nearly one metre tall and 40cm (16 inches) wide.

The mushroom, which has been identified to be edible by experts, was discovered by an 81-year-old man while mushroom hunting in south-west China's Yunnan Province.

The elderly man, surnamed Liu, told Yunnan.cn that he saw the white-capped mushroom emerging from the ground on October 19 and was shocked to see how fast the mushroom had grown two days later.

He told his neighbours at the Luoqiping village in Tengchong City about the mushroom and they set up a fence around the fungi as protection.

The villagers then nicknamed the mushroom as 'elephant foot'.

Pictures and videos emerged on Chinese social media as the villagers asked for the edibility and name of the mushroom.

Measuring 83.5 centimetres (2.7 ft) long, The long stem and huge fruiting body were reaching to a height of a two-year-old child.

The gills and the shape of the cap look like those of oyster mushrooms.

Yang Zhuliang, researcher at Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, told the reporter that the enormous fungi was Macrocybe gigantea, a non-toxic mushroom that can be commonly found in India and Pakistan.

Characterised by the large fruiting body and long stem, the wild Macrocybe gigantea is safe to eat.

Xu Jianchu, an expert at the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, confirmed to MailOnline the mushroom belongs to the Calocybe fungi family and is edible.

According to China News, the mushroom has attracted an average of 30,000 visitors a day since it was discovered on October 19.

The local public transport authority had to put up a signage, reading 'Luoqiping mushroom trip', on the windows of their vehicles to give tourists a guidance to the village.

There were also people throwing coins and money notes at the wild mushroom in a bid to wish for good luck and fortune.

Yao MaoKe, a tourist told the reporter: 'I went to see the giant mushroom few days ago. The place was packed, but there were people maintaining public order as well.'

However, the mushroom can be seen starting to rot a few days after it was found.

Tengyue local government confirmed to China News that the villagers agreed to pull out the fungi and donate to Tengchong Wild Plants and Animals Protection to make as preserved plant specimen.

The giant fungi was removed at midnight hours on October 25 by the villager and passed it to the authority.

Do you have a habit of just posting a copy-paste of articles with no input of your own? What's the point of posting nothing but copy-paste stuff?

[Independent voter]

That's a big ass mushroom all right.

[Najnaj]

Worship? Glad to see that the Daily Mail is as accurate and fair as always. Do they think Brits "worship" wishing wells when they throw coins down them as well?

What an absolute garbage rag that publication is. Just no standards what so ever.

[Shinra1]

Am I the only one who gets creeped out by mushrooms? I opened that link, saw the picture, and had to close the tab. Sends shivers down my spine... Especially with it being that big. Blugh.

I have a similar phobia of small and clustered holes.

[Deleted]

They look tasty!

[Clone]

And millions of white people worship an invisible sky daddy, what's the difference?

The giant mushroom can be proven.

[GennGreymane]

Zangarmash was a pretty good zone in TBC IMO.

[SinR]

at least its not a Mushroom Cloud

[Clone]

Zangarmash was a pretty good zone in TBC IMO.

It was legit.