Fengxin Rice

Fengxin Rice

Fengxin Rice is a product with geographical indication status.

　　Fengxin County has long been known as the “Home of Tribute Rice” and the “Land of High-Quality Rice.” The cultivation and production of Fengxin Rice have a long history, with records dating back to the History of Song and the Tiangong Kaiwu, where it was selected as a tribute to be sent to the imperial court — a tradition that spans several hundred years. Fengxin Rice features a clear white or refined white color, with a glossy, semi-transparent appearance. The grains are slender, uniform in size, firm, plump, smooth, and intact. Fengxin was the first county in southern China’s rice-growing region to receive both A-grade Green Food and Organic Food certifications. Fengxin Rice is sold in over 30 major cities nationwide, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Xiamen. To further enhance the visibility of Fengxin Rice and strengthen the industry’s advantages, the Fengxin County Agriculture Bureau, together with the Grain Bureau, attracted investment to establish Jiangxi Jufeng Rice Industry Co., Ltd., with a total investment exceeding 60 million yuan. The company produces distinctive local rice varieties such as Power Rice and Pine Bamboo Rice. To legally protect this regional specialty, Fengxin Rice has applied for Geographical Indication protection from the National Ministry of Agriculture and was officially certified in December 2009.

　　In terms of farming techniques, the cultivation methods of Fengxin Rice hold an important place. For thousands of years, Fengxin farmers have adhered to traditional farming practices, reflecting a deep-rooted traditional agricultural culture. The Gazetteer of Fengxin County (the Tongzhi Edition of the Qing Dynasty), in its section on “Products,” specifically states: “Rice in the lower areas should be planted early, while that in the upper areas should be planted late,” which fully illustrates the time-honored practice of planting rice according to seasonal timing. In the Tiangong Kaiwu by Song Yingxing, sections such as “Rice Work,” “Rice Suitability,” “Rice Disasters,” and “Water Conservancy” also detail the rice cultivation techniques of southern China, with Fengxin as a central example. Furthermore, Fengxin farmers place great emphasis on the later stages of rice production, including harvesting, drying, and storage. Coupled with the advantages of Fengxin’s soil, climate, and water sources, this has made Fengxin Rice historically one of the finest rices in the Jiangnan region. Starting from the Song Dynasty, when Hu Zhongyao, an ancestor of the Hu family of Hualin and a chief clerk at the Imperial College, offered Fengxin Rice as a tribute, it became a delicacy reserved for the emperor. Since then, Fengxin Rice has continued to be treasured as a tribute to successive dynasties due to its unique cultivation techniques. Although Fengxin is a semi-mountainous, semi-flat region with a relatively small area, it has become a major agricultural county thanks to the widespread cultivation of Fengxin Rice. Since the Song Dynasty, it has been listed as one of the “prominent counties” in Western Jiangnan. In modern times, Nanchang, the provincial capital, has favored Fengxin Rice as its top choice for staple consumption.

　　Fengxin Rice not only boasts a long heritage in cultivation techniques but has also inspired many beautiful legends. These farming traditions embody the profound richness of China’s traditional agrarian culture. Song Yingxing, a native of Fengxin, documented rice cultivation techniques in the first volume of the Tiangong Kaiwu, further reflecting the deeply rooted traditional Chinese cultural value of “honoring grain over jade” and the integrated ethos of farming and scholarship.

　　Although these traditional farming techniques were once widely practiced, most have been on the verge of extinction with the passage of time. To protect the cultivation techniques of Fengxin Rice and other traditional skills, Fengxin County has specially built the Song Yingxing Science and Technology Cultural Park, which effectively preserves, exhibits, and showcases traditional Chinese techniques from ancient times. At the same time, to promote these outstanding traditional skills, Fengxin actively protects original ecological farming areas, extensively cultivating green, pollution-free Fengxin Rice. This harmoniously combines the preservation of traditional agricultural culture with modern scientific farming practices, effectively advancing industrial development.

　　Geographical Scope

　　The specific planting area of Fengxin Rice is geographically located east of Anyi, south of Gao’an, west of Yifeng and Xiushui, and north of Jing’an. Its geographical coordinates are between 114°45′ to 115°33′ east longitude and 28°34′ to 28°52′ north latitude, spanning approximately 32.3 kilometers from north to south and about 78.3 kilometers from east to west. The total area covers 1,644.87 square kilometers, encompassing 18 towns and farms: Chian Town, Chitian Town, Songbu Town, Gan Zhou Town, Zaoxia Town, Huibu Town, Luoshi Town, Shangfu Town, Fengchuan Town, Zaoxi Township, Yangshan Township, Ganzhou Town, Liuxi Township, Shixi Office, Bai Zhang Shan Scenic Area, Ganken Farm, Dongken Farm, and Nongmu Farm.