Chashan Plums

Chashan Plums

　　　Product Origin: Chashan, Hangzhou

　　Product Categories: Large Leaf Green, Large Leaf Pig Liver, Leaf Inside Green, Shengluo Bottom, Flower Sea, Purple Stem Plum, etc.

　　Product Characteristics: Juicy and sour, crisp and refreshing in texture.

　　Product Season: In May and June, sweet and sour plums will hang abundantly on the branches.

　　Product Composition: Rich in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, and iron.

　　Product Benefits: The nutritional value of plums is extremely high. They are alkaline foods, and their sourness comes from organic acids, which can increase alkalinity in the blood, promote metabolism, eliminate fatigue, prevent anemia, and also resist aging, aid digestion, suppress colds and coughs. They are even remarkably effective for motion sickness and nausea relief, hangover recovery, and bad breath elimination. They are an invaluable household snack and medicinal item.

　　Product Introduction: Chashan has long been famed for its “ten-mile sea of plum blossoms” and has become a major tourist attraction in Hangzhou. Scenic spots such as Damingtang and Fuxiang Pavilion still house rare ancient plum trees such as the “Tang Plum” and “Song Plum.” The blossoms are single or in pairs, blooming before the leaves emerge, in white or light red, with a delicate fragrance. The fruit is spherical and green. In addition to being eaten fresh, they can be made into preserved plums, dried tangerine peel plums, and jams, which are exported to Southeast Asian countries and the Hong Kong and Macau regions. Chashan in Hangzhou primarily cultivates fruiting plum trees. Its superior quality and wide variety rank it first among the three major plum-growing areas (the other two being Wuxi Plum Garden and Suzhou Dengwei Mountain).

　　Product Story: This story comes from “A New Account of Tales of the World · Trickery.” The idiom “quenching thirst by thinking of plums” refers to comforting oneself or others with fantasy. One summer, Cao Cao led his troops to campaign against Zhang Xiu. The weather was extraordinarily hot. By noon, the soldiers’ clothes were soaked through, their marching pace had slowed, and several weak soldiers even fainted by the roadside. Seeing the army’s speed decreasing and worried about missing the right timing for battle, Cao Cao grew anxious. He looked at the woods ahead, pondered for a moment, then had an idea. He spurred his horse and quickly rode to the front of the troops, pointing his whip ahead and saying, “Soldiers, I know there’s a large plum forest up ahead, with big and delicious plums. Let’s hurry up and march. Once we get over this hill, we’ll reach the plum forest!” The soldiers, hearing this, felt as if they were already tasting the plums, perked up significantly, and couldn’t help but quicken their pace.