Huanghua Winter Jujube

Huanghua Winter Jujube

The Huanghua Winter Jujube is a protected geographical indication product.

The Huanghua Winter Jujube is a certified geographical indication trademark.

　　The Huanghua Winter Jujube has a history of three thousand years, dating back to before the Qin and Han dynasties. Historical records state “thousands of jujube trees in Yan and Zhao,” “since ancient times abundant in fish, salt, and jujubes,” and “both Liuxian and Zhangwu counties (established within the territory of present-day Huanghua during the Qin and Han periods) planted jujubes, using them as food, brewing half a hu of home-made liquor, and living in prosperity.” During the era of Kublai Khan, the Yuan Dynasty’s founding emperor, the Huanghua Winter Jujube began to be cultivated on a large scale, with the winter jujube orchard in Ju'guan Village, Qijiawu Town, Huanghua City developing from that time. Today, this area still retains the world's largest and oldest wild winter jujube forest. The forest contains 1,067 ancient winter jujube trees over a hundred years old, including 198 trees over 600 years old. Though battered by wind and frost, these ancient trees remain lush and fruitful.

　　The Huanghua Winter Jujube was cherished and favored by royalty and nobility, thus enjoying a reputation for nobility and legendary status throughout history. “The First Emperor of Qin heard of it and believed it to be the fruit of immortality, but searched for it in vain.” In the third year of the Taichu era, Emperor Wu of Han found it during his eastern tour and called it “the finest of all jujubes,” granting it the title “Immortal Jujube.” In the third year of the Hongzhi era, Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youchang, considered it a divine fruit, naming it “King of All Fruits” and designating it as an imperial tribute. This tradition continued through the Qing Dynasty, spanning 500 years.

　　The Huanghua Winter Jujube features thin skin, thick flesh, and a small pit. Its flesh is tender, crisp, sweet and slightly sour, with an exceptionally delightful taste. “Eating it is like tasting the dew of summer — refreshing and invigorating; savoring it feels like reaching for the moon and plucking the clouds — enchanting and dreamlike.” It is regarded as a rare treasure among fruits. Tests show that the Huanghua Winter Jujube contains 32.2% total sugar, 0.367% total acid, and 354 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of fresh jujube. It is also rich in various other vitamins and minerals, making it highly nutritious and beneficial to health, earning it the reputation of “longevity fruit.” In October 1996, at a symposium on the Huanghua Winter Jujube, experts present hailed it as “the best among more than 260 fresh jujube varieties in China.”

　　The Huanghua Winter Jujube is a nationally protected origin-specific product. Experts from across China have conducted on-site investigations and analysis, concluding that Huanghua’s proximity to the sea, along with its climate offering ample sunlight and heat and significant day-night temperature variations, facilitates the accumulation of sugar in the winter jujube fruit, resulting in higher sugar content. The area around Huanghua has deep, fertile soil rich in chlorine and potassium ions. These ions enhance the fruit’s vitamin content, other trace elements, and various nutrients, while also increasing its crispness and hardness. As a result, the Huanghua Winter Jujube has a unique quality — sweet, tender, and crisp, as well as highly nutritious — “nourishing the internal organs and connecting with the pure qi of the vast world.”