Truffle sellers at a mushroom market in Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, are stunned by a rare 1,250-gram black truffle purchased from a native farmer on December 18. /VCG Photo

The giant truffle, which broke the historical record for the heaviest black truffle of the province, is expected to be auctioned for over 200,000 yuan (about 29,000 U.S. dollars). /VCG Photo

Yunnan’s climate and red soils are suitable for wild mushrooms growing and have become the main production area of truffles in China, accounting for around 70 percent of total production output all over the country. /VCG Photo  

Truffles that can grow up to 300 to 500 grams are always being picked when they are only 10 to 20 grams as eager pickers harvest them before the peak season from November to February. It costs about 300 to 500 yuan per kilogram for the normal-size black truffles on the market. /VCG Photo