The Amway Botanical R&D Center in Wuxi City, located in a garden-like environment, is mainly engaged in the research of plants and the potential applications of Chinese herbal medicine.

Walking into the transparent complex, visitors will be greeted by rows of shelves stacked with purple perilla, rosemary, edelweiss and other varieties.

Dr. Li Tingzhao, a researcher with the center, said environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, light and carbon dioxide concentration can be precisely controlled through sophisticated computers and electronic sensing systems in order to achieve higher yields.

(Photo/Jiang Mingrui)

In the laboratory free of harmful pests, plants grow not in the soil but in the water and air, and they can grow quickly and in a high quality, according to Li.

To illustrate the top technologies in use, Li said the chips can ensure a precise spectrum and sensors installed in various places help researchers capture changes in nutrient content, light, and even in the active substances in the plants.