Yuyao Cotton

Yuyao Cotton

　　Yuyao Cotton

　　Cotton is a traditional specialty of Ningbo with a long history and has had a significant impact both nationally and across the eastern Zhejiang region.

　　Cotton is an annual herbaceous plant. China has a fairly long history of cultivating cotton, dating back at least to the Han Dynasty. The coastal location of Ningbo, along with the land reclaimed from the sea, made it highly suitable for cotton cultivation, making it one of the earlier regions to promote cotton growing. According to the Jiatai-era “Huizhou Records” of the Southern Song Dynasty: “The Yao River borders the sea, and the coastal area within a hundred and forty li is all planted with kapok.” By the 26th year of the Yuan Dynasty’s Zhiyuan era (1289 AD), the Zhejiang Eastern Cotton Administration was established in Yuyao. At that time, 70% of Yuyao’s farmers were engaged in cotton cultivation, and about 17% of farmers in Zhenhai were cotton growers, highlighting the importance of the region’s cotton production. During the Ming Dynasty, there was a saying, “Zhejiang cotton comes from Yuyao”: “Every autumn harvest season, merchants gather in great numbers, trading eastward to Fujian and Guangdong, and westward to Jiangsu and Chu, generating tax revenues amounting to millions.” This illustrates the bustling scene during the cotton harvest season. The Qing Dynasty poet Gao Gao wrote in his poem “Cotton”: “Sown in April, blossoms in July. When dew falls in White Dew, snowball-like bolls form; cotton from Songjiang and northern Huai can’t compare. Zhejiang cotton comes from Yuyao, handpicked among the finest in the floral registry…” Another Qing poet, Hu Dehui, also penned: “Peaches bloom with fuzz-filled shells, husks split deep green. The crop thrives throughout Jiangsu and Zhejiang, success lies in combining plowing and weaving. Skillful old women apply their wisdom, young maidens deftly pick at red-windowed looms. Combing yields pearls one by one, spinning produces threads fine as jade. Goose down scatters in the wind, lovebirds delay their plans by day, a bow flicks fluff aloft, three spindles avoid mud adhesion…” Cotton produced in Ningbo was also exported; in the 12th year of the Guangxu reign (1886 AD), Ningbo exported 660,000 pounds of cotton, increasing to 1.38 million pounds the following year.

　　During the Republican era, cotton was cultivated in all counties under Ningbo’s jurisdiction. In 1919, a provincial cotton seed experimental farm was established in Longquan Township, Yuyao. According to the Republican-era “Zhejiang Provincial Conditions · Cotton and Hemp,” in 1931, the counties now under Ningbo’s jurisdiction planted 1.09 million mu of cotton, yielding 236,500 dan of lint cotton, with Yuyao County leading, followed by Cixi. Additionally, according to the Republican-era “Revised Draft of Zhejiang General Annals · Products,” in 1947, Yuyao, Cixi, Zhenhai, Yin County, and Xiangshan together planted 805,900 mu of cotton, producing 190,600 dan of lint cotton. After the founding of New China, although the cotton planting area ranged between 500,000 and 700,000 mu, the yield per mu increased from 13.9 kilograms in 1949 to 64 kilograms in 1990, peaking at 91 kilograms per mu in 1984, while the quality of the cotton also improved significantly.

　　The increase in cotton yield per mu in Ningbo is attributed to continuous improvements in cultivation techniques. In the early years after liberation, cotton-growing and grain-cotton rotation areas mostly used broadcasting and dibbling methods, which gradually transitioned to row sowing. Later, square nursery seedling transplanting was promoted, and in 1958, large-scale promotion of nutrient bowl seedling transplanting began, followed by trials of plastic mulch cultivation. These greatly contributed to increased yields. The planting time shifted from the old saying “Plant cotton at Start of Summer, no need to ask others,” to strongly advocating for early sowing. At the same time, measures such as breeding and demonstrating high-quality seed varieties, promoting scientific pest control, and others led to an elevenfold increase in cotton yield per mu—from 8.3 kilograms in 1920 to 91 kilograms in 1984.

　　As an important economic crop and a traditional specialty of Ningbo, cotton will undoubtedly continue to demonstrate its vital significance and role.