Cixi Bayberries

Cixi Bayberries

Cixi Bayberries are a geographical indication protected product.

Cixi Bayberries are a geographical indication certified trademark.

Cixi Bayberries are an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　Historical records show that early Cixi bayberries were mainly of the lychee variety, but later many other cultivars were developed. According to the Cixi Bayberry Research Institute, there are 12 varieties of bayberries in Cixi: the Water Chestnut variety, Early Large variety, Late Large variety, Fenghuan variety, Early Small variety, Lychee variety, Spiny variety, Pink variety, Red variety, Songjiang variety, Crystal variety, and Late Small variety. Among these, the Water Chestnut variety is the best, accounting for around 85% of both cultivation area and yield. The Water Chestnut bayberry is relatively large in size but has an exceptionally small pit. When ripe, its exterior turns deep purple-black, and it tastes sweet with abundant juice. The fruit is 95% edible and rich in beneficial components such as protein, iron, magnesium, copper, vitamin C, and citric acid. Through long-term cultivation, the Water Chestnut variety has become a renowned cultivar nationwide. In Zhejiang Province’s bayberry quality evaluations, it consistently ranks at the top. The Ningbo Canning Factory once produced canned bayberries using Cixi’s Water Chestnut variety, which won a national silver award. The Water Chestnut variety not only boasts superior quality but also high yield, with individual trees producing up to 300 kilograms. Its economic lifespan exceeds 70 years, and century-old trees are not uncommon, earning it the reputation of a “money tree” among mountain communities.

　　As a premium fruit, bayberries also offer notable health benefits. They aid digestion, promote urination and kidney function, and help relieve summer heat and fatigue. Traditional Chinese medicine holds it in high regard; Li Shizhen wrote in the *Compendium of Materia Medica* that bayberries “quench thirst, harmonize the internal organs, cleanse the intestines, and eliminate irritability and foul odors.” In Cixi, locals often soak premium bayberries in liquor, creating what is commonly known as “liquor-soaked bayberries.” On scorching summer days, eating a few of these can cool the body, stimulate the appetite, and refresh the spirit.

　　Bayberries attract visitors from across China and abroad. The warm-hearted people of Cixi also enjoy gifting them to family and friends or serving them to guests. During the Ming Dynasty, Sun Sheng, who was away from home for long periods, wrote a poem lamenting his inability to enjoy his hometown’s bayberries: “The bayberries back home blush like purple clouds; / The finest from Zhulake are truly proud. / Since my name joined the capital’s roster bright, / I miss their taste each harvest year outright.” Today, Cixi bayberries are air-freighted in large quantities to Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and other destinations, ensuring that overseas Chinese no longer face the sorrow of “missing the harvest each year.” (Cixi)

　　Geographical Scope

　　Cixi City is located on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in eastern Zhejiang, bordering Zhenhai District and Jiangbei District to the east and southeast, and connecting to Yuyao City to the west and southwest. It lies between 30°02′ and 30°24′ north latitude and 121°02′ and 121°42′ east longitude, at the junction of the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo triangle region. The city covers a total area of 1,154 square kilometers (excluding sea areas and land formed after 1954), with a coastline that curves northward, stretching 66 kilometers (measured as 77.56 kilometers on the 1986 map). The designated geographical protection area for Cixi Bayberries lies south of National Highway 329 at the northern foot of the Cuiping Mountain Range, bordered by Zhenhai District and Jiangbei District to the east and southeast, and Yuyao City to the west and southwest. This includes all villages under the jurisdictions of Henghe Town, Kuangyian Town, Guanhaiwei Town, Qiaotou Town, Zhangqi Town, Longshan Town, Fan Shi Town, Sanbei Town, Hushan Subdistrict, Xiaolin Town, and Xinpu Town, as well as the Cixi Forest Farm. The protected area spans 21,780 hectares, with a current production area of 4,667 hectares and an annual output of 25,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) **External Sensory Features**: The main cultivar, the Water Chestnut variety, is characterized by “deep purple-black color, glossy appearance, high sugar content, rich flavor, extremely small pit, flesh easily separating from the pit, fine and tender texture, and aromatic scent.” The fruits are medium-sized, weighing over 10 grams each; they are nearly round with slightly indented tops, flat bottoms, visible sutures, small stems, and small pits. The edible rate is no less than 94%, and the flesh separates well from the pit. (2) **Internal Quality Indicators**: The flesh is fine and tender, juicy with a rich flavor, and pleasantly sweet and sour. The soluble solids content is above 10.5%, indicating excellent quality. (3) **Safety Requirements**: Cixi Bayberries are produced strictly in accordance with the green food standards issued by China’s Ministry of Agriculture.