Shangrao Honey

Shangrao Honey

Shangrao Honey is an agricultural product with geographical indication status.

　　Category: Product Name: Shangrao Honey Registration Certificate No.: AGI01107 Ministry of Agriculture Announcement No./Date: No. 1925 (April 15, 2013) Brief Introduction to Cultural History Shangrao Honey is uniquely natural, unpolluted, and considered a premium grade honey, also known as wild honey. Shangrao Honey is mainly produced on the southern side of Shangrao County at the northern foot of the Wuyi Mountains, where the forest coverage rate reaches 87%. The area features mid-subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests and bamboo groves, offering abundant nectar sources all year round. As early as the Tang Dynasty, there was a history of harvesting wild honey in Shangrao. When wild beehives were found in tree hollows or rock crevices, they were clearly marked, the entrance vegetation was cleared to indicate ownership, and the hives were periodically checked. When the season came, beekeepers would drive away the bees, remove the honeycombs, and extract the honey and wax. Chronicles from the Qing Dynasty documented the production of honey and wax in Shangrao and other counties. In addition to buckets and boxes, beekeeping equipment included a more advanced type of frame rack made by nailing together four wooden boards. Xu Jun, a native of Shangrao who graduated from the College of Agriculture at the Central University in 1932, was a renowned beekeeping expert and one of the pioneers of Jiangxi’s beekeeping industry. He promoted the use of movable-frame hives for Chinese honeybees, and successively adopted modern techniques such as artificial queen rearing, organizing strong colonies for splitting and honey collection, and migratory beekeeping.

　　Wild honey is produced in the dense forests of Huaiyu Mountain, Wuyi Mountain, and Zhanggong Mountain in northeastern Jiangxi. Wild bees gather nectar from hundreds of flowers, producing honey just once or twice a year. With a long production cycle, the honey has high concentration, intense aroma, pure flavor, and comprehensive nutrition, offering significant health benefits. It contains over 100 nutrients including rich proteins, amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, enzymes, nucleic acids, and flavonoids, which can enhance human immunity and disease resistance. It helps prevent coughs, insomnia, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, indigestion, constipation, gastrointestinal disorders, protects the liver, fights cancer, and promotes longevity. For children, it aids growth and development and improves brain function and intelligence. The “Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica” regarded it as a premium-grade honey. In 2007, Shangrao County and Wufu Mountain Town were awarded the title of “Hometown of Chinese Honeybees” by the Ministry of Agriculture of China and the Chinese Beekeeping Association.

　　Shangrao Wild Honey

　　Geographic Scope

　　Shangrao is located in the northeast of Jiangxi Province, along the upper reaches of the Xin River. It is bordered by the Huaiyu Mountain Range to the north, the Wuyi Mountain Range to the south, and spans the Ling Mountain in the center. Its geographical coordinates are between 117°41′18″–118°14′23″ east longitude and 27°58′58″–28°50′15″ north latitude. It lies at the junction of Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Anhui provinces, enjoying convenient and extensive transportation links. The county stretches 132 kilometers from north to south and 45 kilometers from east to west, covering a total area of 2,240 square kilometers. It administers 2 subdistrict offices and 21 towns and townships, with a population of 767,200. Shangrao Honey is mainly produced in 11 towns and townships of Shangrao County, including Wufu Mountain Town, Huatan Mountain Town, Shanglu Town, Forty-eight Town, Shiren Township, Qingshui Township, Hucun Township, Huangshaling Township, Tieshan Township, Wangxian Township, and Huating Town. The Chinese honeybee, also known as the indigenous honeybee, is very abundant in the region. The protected area spans 1,500 square kilometers, with a current beekeeping population of 62,000 colonies and an annual production of 650 tons of Shangrao Honey.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics: The Chinese honeybees raised in Shangrao have a black-and-yellow body color and are a local superior breed of Shangrao County. Farmers often collect wild bee colonies and raise them using traditional upright barrel or box hives. Shangrao Honey is multifloral honey collected by Chinese honeybees in the deep mountains. Depending on the nectar source plants, its color varies from yellow, brown, white, to bluish-green. It has a delicate taste, sweet and rich aroma, high viscosity, and can be used both for food and medicine. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: Shangrao Honey is rich in organic acids, proteins, vitamins, enzymes, and bioactive substances. The honey has a high purity level, with a Baumé degree between 40–42, moisture content of 18.5%–19%, fructose content of 40.5%–41.5%, glucose content of 38%–39%, amylase activity of 17.5 mL/g–18 mL/g, ash content of 0.05%–0.1%, and a total of 17 amino acids ranging from 0.32 g/100 g–0.35 g/100 g. 3. Safety Requirements: The production areas of Shangrao Honey are mainly in the deep mountains, far from urban areas, with no industrial pollution sources. The environmental conditions meet the requirements for organic food production sites, and the product quality complies with organic food standards.