Snow chrysanthemum is a traditional natural plant used for health and wellness by the Uyghur people, locally known as "Gulqiaer." For thousands of years, Gulqiaer has bloomed in the Karakoram Mountains, braving the snow and frost on icy cliffs and peaks, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth. Its flowers are a dazzling golden yellow, dotted with brown buds in the center. The flower stems are about thirty-five…
Pishan County was the site of the ancient Kingdom of Pishan, one of the Thirty-Six Kingdoms along the Tarim Basin in the Western Regions during China’s Western Han Dynasty. It was an important trading post and stopover on the southern route of the ancient Silk Road, serving as the primary gateway to India, Persia, and other western nations. The pomegranate was originally called "An Pomegranate." Historical records indicate that around the 2nd century AD, pomegranates were produced in the Western Regions, then under the jurisdiction of Chinese dynasties—namely the Kingdoms of An and Shi (present-day Bukhara and Tashkent in Uzbekistan). It was during the mission of Zhang Qian to the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty that the fruit was introduced to inland China. This introduction is accompanied by a beautiful legend. Pishan County is said to be one of the legendary birthplaces of the pomegranate. The Piyama Sweet Pomegranate is celebrated for its large size, thin skin, big seeds, abundant juice, bright color, soft pit, sweet taste, rich flavor, and high quality. It has long been praised as having “pearl-like transparent seeds and honey-sweet, dense juice.” Not only does it excel in color, aroma, and taste, but it also contains a certain amount of protein, vitamins, and various minerals, making it a premium variety of pomegranate that is highly favored. In 2004, it was designated as a national standard demonstration base for sweet pomegranates and honored as a “Chinese Famous Fruit” by the China Fruit Association. In 2006 and 2007, it won the “Best Selling Product Award” at the Xinjiang Characteristic Agricultural Products (Shanghai) Trade Fair for two consecutive years. In September 2007, it was recognized as a “Xinjiang Famous Brand” by the Xinjiang Famous Brand Strategy Promotion Committee. In October 2007, at the 5th China International Agricultural Products Trade Fair held in Jinan, Shandong, the “Piyan” brand pomegranate was awarded the “Gold Medal for One Village One Product Exhibition” at the 5th China International Agricultural Products Trade Fair. On April 10, 2008, the Piyama Township Pomegranate Association was named one of the “Top 100 Associations” by the Autonomous Region Science and Technology Association. In September 2008, it was honored as a “China Consumer Satisfaction Famous Special Product” by the China Light Industry Product Quality Assurance Center.
Hetian Jade Jujube, as the name suggests, comes from Hetian in Xinjiang — the homeland of fine jade and silk. The cultivation base is located in one of the world’s most renowned “fruit optimal growth zones.” The latitude range of 36°59′50″N to 37°14′23″N where Hetian is situated is globally acknowledged by fruit experts as an ideal “fruit optimal growth belt.” The 300,000-mu pollution-free cultivation base of Hetian Jade Jujube lies at the northern foot of the Kunlun Mountains and the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert — precisely within this prime latitude zone. The delicate jujube saplings “relocated” from mainland China’s main production areas have transformed into the graceful and plump Hetian Jade Jujubes through the following natural advantages:
The main varieties include: paper-shell walnuts, produced in Korla, with shells as thin as paper—when held up to the light, the shape of the kernel inside can almost be seen. A gentle pinch with a finger will crack the shell. The nuts are medium-sized, averaging 11.7 grams per piece, with a kernel yield of 67%, and up to 69%. The kernels are sweet and plump, with an oil content of 71%. Thin-shell walnuts, mainly...
Hetian fine jade is sourced from the Kunlun Mountains, known as the "Ancestor of All Mountains," and has been renowned throughout history both in China and abroad. The "Yu the Great Taming the Floods" painting, housed in the Leshou Hall of the Forbidden City in Beijing, is also made of Hetian jade. Weighing 5,330 kilograms, it is the largest jade artifact in Chinese history and bears an imperial inscription by Emperor Qianlong…
Niya lamb is distinguished by its exceptional meat quality. With low levels of sheepy alkyl compounds, the lamb has no gamy taste, making it highly favored, well-rated, and praised by consumers. It is characterized by low fat, high protein, and low cholesterol. Roast Niya lamb products (such as whole roasted lamb, tandoor lamb, and lamb skewers) have a uniquely fragrant taste, making them a premium choice among meats...
Niyang Sheep are an ancient local livestock breed native to Minfeng, forming the primary type of livestock raised in agricultural and pastoral areas. Through assimilation and adaptation to the harsh natural environment, they have developed unique biological traits. The Uyghur people have a long history of sheep farming, and lamb plays a significant role in their diet. Dishes such as hand-pulled lamb, roasted whole lamb, and grilled lamb skewers are all traditional Uyghur...
Minfeng Jujube is a specialty of Minfeng County in Hotan, Xinjiang. The ancient name of Minfeng County was “Niya,” which has been a place where western China’s nomadic ethnic groups have thrived since ancient times. In Minfeng, the Ruokoya Township was the first to start growing red jujubes, with a history that dates back to the 1960s. Now, almost every household in the village grows jujubes, and they have become…
Hetian Cistanche tubulosa is a specialty of Luopu County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang. This species of cistanche is edible and also possesses nourishing medicinal properties. The *Shennong Bencao Jing* (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) states that it is primarily used to treat five types of exhaustion and seven types of injuries, tonify the middle energizer, alleviate cold and heat pain in the body, nourish the five internal organs, strengthen yin, enhance essence and qi, resolve mass accumulation in women, and promote lightness when taken regularly. The *Mingyi Bielu* (Supplementary Records of Eminent Physicians) says it removes pathogenic factors from the bladder, …
Luopu Corn is a specialty of Luopu County in Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang. Luopu County is an agricultural region where wheat and corn are the main crops grown year-round. Located at the northern foot of the Kunlun Mountains and southwest of the Tarim River, the area features a continental warm-temperate arid desert climate with distinct seasons. Springs are long and windy, summers are hot and dry, autumns cool down rapidly, and winters are not extremely cold with little snowfall...
Zakest “Zakest” is a type of naan made from cornmeal. In the Hotan region, the cornmeal is ground extremely fine, and it’s customary to knead the dough with cold water. Sometimes, ingredients like onion strips, pumpkin strips, and diced fatty lamb are added, giving it the natural fragrance of cornmeal—a delicious taste you won’t find in other parts of Xinjiang. …
Adire silk is a uniquely ethnic product of Xinjiang and a favorite fabric for dresses and skirts among Uyghur women. They have even given this silk a nickname: "Yubupunnakani Teguli," which in Uyghur means "the flower of the cuckoo’s wings," symbolizing that this floral silk brings the freshness of spring.
Luopu carpets have a long history and are renowned both in China and abroad. This area is the ancient "Hometown of Hotan Carpets." Currently, the home-based carpet weaving industry is developing rapidly and has become one of the important sources of supplementary income for farmers. The products are exported to 20 countries and regions, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. In particular, "Atlas" silk, known for its vivid and classic patterns…
Hetian Pomegranates The Rural Cooperative Economic Organization Association of Hetian Prefecture — Pomegranate (scientific name: Punica granatum L.) is a deciduous tree or shrub; it has simple leaves, usually opposite or clustered, and no stipules. The flowers are terminal or nearly terminal, solitary or clustered in small groups, or arranged in cymes, nearly bell-shaped, with 5–9 lobes,…
The Hetian Blue Donkey is a large draft and meat dual-purpose breed, notable for its bluish-gray coat. It has a tall and sturdy build with strong limbs. Adult male donkeys average 135.4 cm in height and weigh 270 kg; females average 130.1 cm in height and weigh 259 kg. The breed is genetically stable, has a gentle temperament, …
Grapes are a symbol of unity, harmony, prosperity, and flourishing for the Chinese nation, and are hailed as the foremost among the world’s four major fruits. They are essential during the Mid-Autumn Festival moon appreciation, National Day, and family reunions at year’s end. Among Xinjiang’s fruits, those known as “pearls and agates” are the grapes. Xinjiang grapes are unmatched in quality, and the long-renowned Pishan Keke Terek grapes…
Pishan County has a long history of agricultural and animal husbandry production, becoming a prosperous farming region as early as the Han and Tang dynasties. Agricultural activities in the region began before the Han Dynasty. By the Han period, the introduction of farming tools and techniques from the Central Plains accelerated productivity growth. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the cultivation of grapes, melons, cotton, and practices such as mulberry planting and silkworm rearing were already widespread. In the 70 years since modern times…
Cele County in Hetian Prefecture is located in the southwestern part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, at the northern foot of the Kunlun Mountains and the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert. It has a continental warm desert climate, characterized mainly by long sunshine hours, abundant light and heat resources, dramatic temperature fluctuations, scarce precipitation on the plains, intense evaporation, extremely dry air, and frequent...
Since the opening of the Silk Road during the Western Han Dynasty, generations of people have cultivated the land in Xinjiang. Dates were gradually introduced and planted here over a history of about a thousand years, forming unique date varieties in the Gobi and desert regions such as Hami, Hotan, Kashgar, and Aksu. Xuanzang also noted in *Great Tang Records of the Western Regions* that Khotan “was suitable for growing grain and various fruits…”
Pomegranates were introduced to Xinjiang from the Western Regions, and Cele is the earliest cultivation site of Western Region pomegranates. It is said that the cultivation history here dates back over 2,000 years. This has been widely taught in Xinjiang’s primary school textbooks. Over the long history of cultivation, a rich and diverse variety of pomegranate species have developed, making Cele a natural gene bank for pomegranate germplasm. Legend has it that during the Han Dynasty...