Huanghua Primitive Winter Jujube Forest

Huanghua Primitive Winter Jujube Forest

The primitive winter jujube forest is located in Ju Guan Village, Qi Wu Ye Township, Huanghua City, and boasts a history of over 600 years. According to the genealogy of the Liu family, in 1404 AD, during the second year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, Liu Hong, the founding ancestor of the Liu clan who migrated to Cangzhou, led his four sons, two nephews, and their families on an official relocation mission. When they reached the northeastern part of Cangzhou, suffering from hunger and thirst, they suddenly came upon a jujube grove where the fruits were as big as apples. Everyone shared the fruit, found it crumbly and sweet upon the first bite, and felt instantly refreshed. Believing these to be divine jujubes bestowed by heaven, they established a village there.

Legend has it that during the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty (1436–1450 AD), Wang Ao, an official of the Ministry of Personnel, praised the Ju Guan winter jujube as “indescribably delicious” after tasting it on his way back to his hometown from the capital. Upon returning to his native place, Wang Mao Quan (now Haixing County, about 40 kilometers from Ju Guan), he ordered the local villagers to plant winter jujube trees so they could enjoy this delicacy, which gradually spread to places like Shandong. Empress Zhang, the primary consort of Emperor Hongzhi (1470–1505 AD) and a native of Xingji, Cang County, played a role in the fruit’s history as well. In the third year of the Hongzhi reign, to tackle flooding issues, Empress Zhang instructed her brothers Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling to oversee the dredging of the Jianhe River, which was commonly referred to as the “Empress River.” While supervising the excavation of the Xingjijian River, the two imperial uncles discovered the Ju Guan winter jujube and had some picked and presented to the emperor and empress. Highly favored, it was hailed by Emperor Hongzhi as the “finest among all jujubes” and the “king of all fruits,” and was immediately designated an imperial tribute. This tradition continued annually until the Qing Dynasty, making the winter jujube a “tribute jujube.”

Ju Guan winter jujubes are renowned for their distinctive qualities: thin skin, tender flesh, crisp texture, and sweet flavor. The fruit is rich in various essential nutrients needed by the human body. With its high vitamin C content, it is called the “vitamin pill” and is believed to have anti-aging and anti-cancer properties, making it a top-grade health food. The village currently has 198 ancient winter jujube trees over 600 years old and more than 1,000 trees over 200 years old, all of which have been listed as national key protected cultural relics.

Scenic spot address: Ju Guan Village, Qi Wu Ye Township, Huanghua City, Hebei Province

Transportation: Take a bus to Cui Zhuang Zi within Huanghua City, get off at Cui Zhuang Zi, and then walk or take a minibus to Ju Guan.

Qi Wu Ye Township: Located at the northernmost tip of Huanghua City, Qi Wu Ye Township borders the Tianjin Binhai New Area to the north, faces the Bohai Sea to the east, and connects to Qing and Cang counties to the west. The Ziya New River and Beipai River run east-west across the township, while National Highway 205 and the Jinshan Expressway stretch north-south. The township covers a total area of 160 square kilometers, governs 37 administrative villages, has a population of 42,000, and includes 130,000 mu of arable land. It is one of the top 40 townships in Cangzhou City and is also the world-renowned birthplace of the winter jujube.

——Rich historical and cultural heritage. Qi Wu Ye has a long history. Historical records indicate that during the Ming Dynasty, Prince Yan Zhu Di fought a prolonged, four-year tug-of-war with government forces across Hebei, Shandong, Henan, and Anhui provinces in his bid for the imperial throne... More details about Qi Wu Ye Township ++