Maochen Town is the "Hometown of Lotus Roots". The specialty Jiaohu lotus root is characterized by its thin skin, white color, thick knots and fat flesh, sweet, crisp and juicy.

In 1999, Jiao Hulian won the gold medal at the China International Agricultural Products Expo and was awarded the "Quality Brand Product" by the Ministry of Agriculture. In 2000, Maochen Town registered the "Jiaolian" brand lotus root trademark. In 2001, Jiaohu lotus root was approved by the Hubei Provincial Department of Agriculture as a "pollution-free" green food.

After 8 years of operation, the Jiaohu Lotus Root Association has developed 31 group members and 400 individual members, distributed in 7 surrounding counties and cities including Hanchuan, Honghu, and Xiantao. It has more than 700 acquisition outlets, a transportation team of more than 500 people, more than 50 sales outlets in more than 30 large and medium-sized cities, and maintains year-round contact with more than 1,000 vegetable wholesale markets across the country.