Huangli Pomegranate

Huangli Pomegranate

　　　The Huangli Pomegranate is a long-renowned specialty, produced in Huangli Village in the northwest of Xiangcheng. It is mostly cultivated on hillsides at altitudes between 50 and 150 meters. During the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, the physician Wu Mengchun recorded in his book *Suinian* that the Huangli Pomegranate was “vivid in color, fragrant in aroma, large in grain, soft in seed, and rich in sweet juice.” During the Republican era, it was sold as far as Nanjing and Shanghai. There are many varieties of Huangli Pomegranate, including Mayao Seed, Soft Seed, Green Rind Coarse, Garden Fragrance, and Clumsy Pomegranate. Among them, the best quality one is the Soft Seed Pomegranate, also known as Crystal Sugar Pomegranate. The fruit is round, with an extremely thin skin, weighing about 150 grams per fruit and up to 300 grams at most, containing 350 to 400 seeds. The seeds are crystal sugar-colored, large, juicy, soft, and extremely sweet.