The proverb “After Laba, the days grow long (cháng) like a forked branch” comes from the Longgao area, meaning that after the Laba Festival, daylight gradually lengthens each day, and the long, difficult nights will soon get shorter. As such, locals celebrate the festival. On the night of the seventh, residents gather around a bonfire holding long forks, dancing and celebrating joyfully through the night...
The Xunyi Italian Early Red apple has an average single fruit weight of 223 grams. The fruit is nearly conical in shape, with a vertical diameter of 6.9 cm and a horizontal diameter of 7.6 cm, giving it a fruit shape index of 0.9. Over 80% of the fruits have a horizontal diameter of more than 7.5 cm. The fruits begin to color in early July, with a greenish-yellow base color and mostly or entirely bright red coverage. The fruit surface is smooth and glossy: …
Xunyi Wangshanhong The "Wangshanhong" apple is an early-ripening, deep-red sport of the "Changfu No. 2" variety. The fruit is nearly round, with an average single fruit weight of 260 grams. It features a bright color, crisp flesh, a pleasantly sweet and tangy taste, abundant juice, and good storability. This product overcomes the issue of Fuji apples not fully ripening in our region and solves problems associated with Fuji production such as incomplete nutrient reflux and poor tree stress resistance. It serves as a next-generation alternative to the Fuji apple. Recently, the provincial seed administration bureau presided over a scientific evaluation of the "Wangshanhong" apple. Experts attending the event conducted an on-site inspection of the "Wangshanhong" orchards, gained detailed insights into the breeding process, characteristics, traits, and planting scale of the variety, and thoroughly reviewed the relevant technical documentation. The "Wangshanhong" was officially approved as a new provincial-level variety.
Xunyi Japanese Apples were developed at the Aomori Apple Experiment Station in Japan. The summer green fruits have subpar coloration, are relatively small in size, but mature early, offer good flavor, and are relatively productive, making them suitable as pollination varieties for intercropping. Introduced by the Fruit Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 1986, they were used for high-grafting observation and trial planting. The fruits are nearly round, relatively small, with an average single fruit weight of…
The *Compendium of Materia Medica* states: “Field dogs with long snouts are good at hunting, watchdogs with short snouts are adept at guarding, and fattened meat dogs are raised for food.” This shows that in ancient China, dogs were categorized into three types. The dog meat we refer to here is that of the meat dogs. However, in rural areas of northwest China, there is a saying that “dog meat is not served at formal banquets.” Yet, it is widely consumed among the people and regarded as a delicacy…
Xunyi Local Sweet Melon is produced in Dimiao Town, Xunyi. Dimiao Town is known as the “Hometown of Sweet Melons.” The local residents have been growing sweet melons for a thousand years, with the current planting area exceeding 600 acres. The fertile land, dry climate, and abundant sunshine provide the ideal natural conditions for sweet melon cultivation. Coupled with rich farming experience, the resulting melons…
Perilla oil, also known as perilla seed oil, has been cultivated in Xunyi for over two thousand years. Especially in the high-altitude, pollution-free forest-edge areas of Malan Town and the Ziwuling Mountains, the organic perilla seeds produce an essential oil that contains over 60% alpha-linolenic acid. For a long time, it has been exported to South Korea, Japan, and EU countries, and has obtained certification under the world’s most stringent British Royal Quality Standards...
Dimiao Town in Xunyi County is located at the border between Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. Due to its high altitude, long hours of sunlight, abundant summer rainfall, cool autumn climate, dry air, red clay soil, and conditions ideal for the cool-climate-loving scallion, it has become the optimal growing area for scallions. The local people have over a thousand years of rich experience in cultivating scallions, and the scallions they produce...
Xunyi walnuts are a type of "longevity fruit, brain-boosting fruit, and longevity fruit" grown in a pristine, pollution-free natural environment. Absorbing the essence of nature over the years, these walnuts are of exceptional quality and are hailed as a "treasure for nourishing life." The "soft-shell walnuts" have thin shells and thick kernels. When holding two walnuts in your hand and applying slight pressure, their shells crack open…
Sweet and sticky corn from Shimen Mountain is grown in the pristine, unpolluted environment at the foot of Shimen Mountain. The area has an average altitude of 1,600 meters, a frost-free period of 180 days, annual precipitation of 600 mm, and 2,390 hours of sunshine annually. With significant day-night temperature variations, loose and deep soil, the sweet and sticky corn produced here contains higher levels of protein, amino acids, fat…
Huazi steamed buns, also known as "Heart-to-Heart" buns, are a specialty snack of Xunyi. It is believed that Huazi buns originated from the ceremonial cakes of the Zhou Dynasty and became popular in Xunyi folk culture during festivals, birthday celebrations, weddings and funerals, house constructions, and other events. Made entirely by hand, they have a chewy texture and are beloved by many. The making process of Huazi buns is rather comp…
Malan is located in the northeast of Xunyi County. The area features high altitude, cool climate, large diurnal temperature variations, abundant sunlight, deep and loose soil rich in potassium, and ample rainfall—all conditions that are ideal for potato cultivation. The potatoes produced here are aesthetically shaped, flavorful, and have good storage capacity, making them a premium, pollution-free specialty agricultural product. In recent years...
Buckwheat noodles are made from flour ground from husked and peeled buckwheat seeds. In the past, people regarded it as a minor grain and rarely consumed it. However, with economic prosperity and continuous improvement in living standards, buckwheat noodles have garnered increasing attention. In particular, buckwheat-based products have become one of the best-selling items on dining tables today. They not only…
Xunyi County Shimen Mountain Modern Eco-Tourism Park has introduced 800 high-quality black-bone chicken breeds, raising them in a pollution-free manner through grass planting in orchards. These eggs are low in fat, high in protein, and rich in a variety of trace elements, making them an excellent choice for gifts to family and friends. …
Wild honey is a natural, raw honey produced by wild bees. These bees are a type of small Chinese bee that lives year-round in deep mountain forests. The honey is harvested around the Mid-Autumn Festival in the lunar calendar, once a year only. With limited yield and exceptional quality, it is regarded as a “treasure among honeys.” Most Xunyi wild bees live year-round in the Malan and Shimen...
Coarse grains refer to staple foods such as rice, wheat, soybeans, corn, and tubers. People commonly refer to grains other than rice and flour as coarse grains, so the term "five grains" also broadly refers to cereal crops. Benefits of eating more coarse grains: 1. Prevention against cancer invasion
Sticky cake (nián gāo), a renowned local specialty of Xunyi. It is made by fermenting and steaming sticky broomcorn millet flour. Before steaming, the fermented dough is mixed with a certain proportion of blanched dough and raw dough, then kneaded evenly by hand into a round strip over a foot long. A small ridge is pinched on top before it is steamed in a pot. When eating the sticky cake, it is sliced into pieces about 0.5 cm thick…
Mashi, also known as "cat's ears," is a local snack from Xunyi. Making mashi is simple: first, let the prepared wheat dough rest for 20 minutes, then roll it out into a sheet about 1 cm thick. Next, cut it into strips roughly 1.5 cm wide, roll each strip by hand on the cutting board into a cylinder, and then chop it into small dough cubes for later use. Sprinkle a little dry flour on the cutting board, and use your thumb to press diagonally on each dough cube — the dough will curl up, resembling a cat’s ear, hence the name mashi. There are many ways to enjoy mashi: stir-fried or braised with meat, vegetables, and seasonings. It tastes delicious and has a distinctive flavor.
Héle noodles, referred to as "hélòu" in ancient texts. Regarding their preparation, Gao Runsheng of the Qing Dynasty provided a very detailed description in his work *Erya Valley Names Examination*: "The dough is made by mixing water and flour into a ball, then pressed through a wooden press. The press consists of a female and a male part, connected by a movable axle that can be easily lifted and lowered. It is mounted on a frame, and during use, the press is placed over a pot. The dough ball is placed inside the female part of the press... The bottom of the female part is embedded with an iron sheet, perforated with fine holes. When the dough is placed inside, the male part is pressed down, producing noodles that are smooth and delicious. The wooden press is commonly called a hélòu bed." With social development, metal tools have replaced wooden ones, but the basic method of making héle noodles has remained largely unchanged.
Buckwheat is one of the main autumn coarse grains produced in Xunyi. Its grains are triangular in shape, with black or silver-gray husks, and together with black rice, black beans, black sesame, and black fungus, they are known as the “Five Blacks” foods. Buckwheat noodles are highly nutritious. Their primary nutritional components include: 9.3%–10.9% protein, 2.5%–3.1% fat…