General's Vegetable is produced in the Dabie Mountains. It belongs to a large family of plants in the Asteraceae family. In various regions of China, what is called "bitter vegetable" includes more than ten types such as those from the genera Sonchus, Lactuca, Ixeris, and Cichorium. Ancient texts record its many alternative names, such as "Ku" in the Book of Songs, "Tu" in the Original Elegance Commentary, "Ku Mai" in the Book of Jin, "You Dong" in the Names of Medical Herbs, …
Hong'an Cloth is a rare, handwoven pure cotton textile crafted by local artisans in Hong'an County, a revolutionary base area. For centuries, farmers in the region have maintained the tradition of spinning and weaving. During wartime, Red Army soldiers used this cloth to make military uniforms and bedding, creating touching scenes where male soldiers fought on the front lines while female compatriots wove and sent clothes from the rear. Even after liberation, many generals still…
Created in the late Qing Dynasty. The balls are fragrant and soft, with a brownish-red color, about the size of a pheasant egg. Preparation method: Mix mung beans and rice beans in a 2:8 ratio, soak them together in clean water for about a day, then rinse and drain. Add an appropriate amount of water and grind into a paste. Scoop the mixture into ball shapes with a spoon, and fry each one individually in hot oil until golden brown. The balls are often used in composite dishes, and also…
Hong'an Mung Bean Cake It is said to have been made since the Tang Dynasty. With a golden color, crispy outside and soft inside, savory and salty with a delicious taste, and oily yet not greasy, it is a beloved snack among the people of Hong'an. To make it, cooked mung beans are first mashed and shaped into balls, then steamed glutinous rice is pounded into a paste. The mung bean balls are used as filling with added sesame oil and salt, and the glutinous rice serves as the wrapper. The mixture is then pressed...
Hong'an Stinky Skin A famous specialty of Hong'an, it is said to have originated in the early years of the Song Dynasty as a vegetarian dish from temples. Though it has a pungent smell, it tastes fragrant, refreshing, delicious, and has a rich broth. Qichun Oil Ginger Qichun Oil Ginger has been quite renowned historically. It is made by pickling young ginger in sauce, resulting in a crispy, tender, sweet product with little fiber, and is one of Qichun's famous specialties. It is not only a well-known preserved vegetable but also an excellent seasoning, known to stimulate appetite and strengthen the spleen and stomach. The Qichun Vegetable Company now produces it as canned goods, which are exported both domestically and internationally and are very popular with customers.
Trumpet creeper…
Daxi lacquer, also known as national lacquer, specifically refers to high-quality natural raw lacquer produced in Enshi Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province. Currently, it mainly includes Lichuan Maoba Daxi lacquer and Xianfeng Xiaocun Daxi lacquer. Former Premier Zhou Enlai once praised the raw lacquer from Lichuan Maoba: “Daxi lacquer is as clear as oil, clear enough to reflect a beauty’s face; it shimmers amber when shaken, and is strong enough to hook a fishing line.” Indeed, those who have used Lichuan Maoba...
Zouma Gexianmi has been known to people for over 1,500 years. According to *Compendium of Materia Medica*, “Gexianmi grows on stones in caves along the streams of Huguang (now Zouma Town, Hefeng County, Hubei Province). When heavy rain washes open the cave entrances, the grains flow out with the water. Locals collect them; when first gathered, they resemble small, fresh wood ear mushrooms, purple-green in color. When mixed with vinegar, they become plump and green and are edible. Locally called ‘Kaixian Cai,’ when dried they are known as ‘Tianxian Mi.’ During the Jin Dynasty, Ge Hong, who was hiding here and suffering from food scarcity, foraged and consumed them, hence the name ‘Gexianmi.’” This is the legend passed down through generations by the Tujia ancestors: during his journey through the southern mountains, Jin Dynasty’s Ge Hong (an Eastern Jin alchemist, physician, and Taoist ethicist) fell ill near Zouma. Stricken by famine, he foraged and ate these grains, miraculously recovering from his illness. Later, when Ge Hong went to the capital, he presented them to the emperor. The frail crown prince recovered his health after eating them, and the empress, who had suffered from incurable night blindness despite seeking medical help, was also cured. Deeply grateful, the emperor renamed “Tianxian Mi” to “Gexianmi.”
Enshi is rich in medicinal herbs, mainly including Lichuan Coptis, Yaogui, Banparty, Angelica, Gastrodia, Fritillaria, and Notoginseng, among which Lichuan Coptis is the most famous. Coptis is cold in nature and bitter in taste, with functions such as purging fire and detoxifying, clearing heat and drying dampness. It is primarily used to treat high fever with restlessness, chest tightness and vomiting, as well as diarrhea and dysentery. Lichuan City has a late spring, cool summer, early autumn, and cold winter, with abundant rainfall and...
Sandy Oil Chestnut is produced in Shadi Township, Enshi City. It is an elite chestnut variety selected by the Enshi Municipal Forestry and Special Products Bureau through comparative and production trials from local chestnut species. The Sandy Oil Chestnut tree has a compact canopy, vigorous growth, semi-spreading posture, and a round-topped shape. It bears medium-sized fruiting branches, with large, oval-shaped leaves that have an inverted ovate form and glossy surfaces. The burrs are oval, of medium size…
High-quality and precious Lichuan coptis. Resembling a chicken’s foot, Lichuan coptis is called chicken-foot coptis, also known as Nan’an flavor coptis, and is a premium variety among coptis types. This type of coptis has been cultivated in Lichuan for over 300 years. It is said that Beijing Tongrentang uses Lichuan coptis as its raw material. In 1976, Lichuan was designated as the national coptis production base. Currently, the base…
The area to the north of the Lou Shan, Wu Ling Shan, and Da Lou Shan mountain ranges in the production region sees frequent movement of cattle. The Enshi cattle from Hubei, Xiangxi cattle from Hunan, and Sinan cattle from Guizhou share the same origin, have largely similar ecological conditions, and exhibit very similar body types and appearances. They should be considered the same breed under different names, hence they are consolidated and collectively named Wuling Cattle. These cattle are distributed in the border regions of Hunan, …
Nostoc, commonly known as "Tianxianmi" (Heavenly Fairy Rice), "Tianxiancai" (Heavenly Fairy Vegetable), "Shui mu’er" (Water Wood Ear), or "Tian mu’er" (Field Wood Ear), is an aquatic algal plant belonging to a type of blue-green algae. It is unicellular, rootless and leafless, dark green in color, bead-like in shape, entirely wild, and truly a natural green food. Legend has it that during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Ge Hong—a master of alchemy, medicine, and Taoist theory—while in seclusion...
Changyou Sweet Taro Chestnut chestnut porridge is suitable for all ages. Made with an appropriate amount of chestnuts and glutinous rice, this porridge not only strengthens the spleen and stomach along with the glutinous rice to improve appetite, but also nourishes kidney function and strengthens bones and tendons. It is especially suitable for the elderly suffering from poor appetite, weak and sore knees, and difficulty walking due to age-related physical decline. As the saying goes: “When your waist and legs feel weak, it’s a lack of…”
Community rice has existed since ancient times and is a food used by China’s Tujia, Miao, Dong, and other ethnic minority groups in rituals to worship the gods of earth and grain. Eating community rice is mainly done on the Community Day (i.e., the fifth Wu day after the beginning of spring), commonly referred to by folk as “passing the community” or “stopping the community.” The Wu day is associated with earth, making it a day to worship the Earth God, where people pray for a smooth year, abundant harvests, and family harmony.
Ban Party is one of the traditional and valuable medicinal herbs in Enshi Prefecture, with a long cultivation history. It thrives in cool and moist conditions and is found at elevations between 1,200 and 1,800 meters. It is mainly produced in counties and cities such as Enshi, Jianshi, and Lichuan, but the largest yield and highest quality come from Banqiao Town in Enshi City, hence the name “Ban Party.” The herb is derived from the root…
Acclaimed by experts and scholars as the “King of Hundred Herbs,” Japanese ginseng is a rare medicinal herb from Enshi. It is the dried rhizome of the plant Panax japonicus, belonging to the Araliaceae family. Also known as local ginseng, earth essence, blood ginseng, or Japanese spikenard, it is primarily used to treat symptoms such as cough with excessive phlegm, blood in vomit due to overexertion, bruises and injuries, abscesses, and external bleeding. …
Hefeng has an abundance of potatoes, which people love to eat. As a result, potato-based dishes have become a staple on the Tujia dining table. There are also many ways to enjoy potatoes, and here’s one to introduce: these potato cakes are made from carefully selected potatoes that are ground into mash. The potato residue is removed, and the essence—potato starch—is extracted. Eggs and other seasonings are added before pressing…
The “Tujia Husband-and-Wife Pie,” also known as the “Hubei Husband-and-Wife Pie,” “Enshi Husband-and-Wife Pie,” “Enshi Tujia Ethnic Group Husband-and-Wife Pie,” or “Wuhan Husband-and-Wife Pie,” is commonly referred to as the “Husband-and-Wife Pie.” It is a unique delicacy of the Tujia ethnic group, made with fermented dough wrapped around a fresh pork filling seasoned with dozens of natural ingredients, garnished with chopped scallions and sprinkled with sesame...
Shiitake mushrooms are the world’s second most consumed edible fungus and one of China’s specialties. Over the past decade, China’s shiitake export trade has gradually increased at an annual growth rate of about 2%. Currently, China produces 80,000 tons of shiitake mushrooms annually, accounting for over 80% of the global 100,000-ton output, ranking first in the world. With exports of 36,000 tons, China also leads in shiitake exports…