Longyang Green Radish

Longyang Green Radish

Longyang Green Radish is a product with a geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　 The local variety of Longyang Green Radish has been cultivated in Longyang Town for over 400 years. To this day, folk tales such as “A young Taoist boy eats a green ginseng fruit and ascends to immortality” and “Longyang radishes sold as pears” are still passed down. Legend has it that Liu Yong, a grand secretary of the Qing Dynasty, once made a special trip to Longyang to visit his mentor Zhao Chengpin. Mr. Zhao served him green radishes, praising them as both crisp and sweet — a true delicacy. After tasting them, Liu Yong also spoke highly of them, saying, “Indeed crisp and sweet, truly a national treasure.”

　　 Today, Longyang Green Radish has become a unique fruit and vegetable resource in Tengzhou City. A local proverb says, “For Longyang radishes, look to Xizhuang,” and “Zhangjiatang and Miaojiazhuang, baskets full of green radishes,” along with the saying, “Eat radishes in winter and ginger in summer, and you won’t need a doctor’s prescription.” It enjoys a reputation as a “treasured fruit and vegetable, the people’s ginseng.” As recorded in the Book of Songs, radishes can be used to prepare dishes — whether stir-fried, boiled, or served cold, they are all excellent; they can also be eaten raw as a fruit, delicious in taste; and they can be pickled into kimchi or sauces. Green radishes are rich in nutrition and loved by people around the world, holding significant value as food, nutrition, and medicine.

　　 Longyang Green Radish is generally sown at the end of August or early September and harvested from mid- to late October. It features an all-over emerald green color, crystal-clear appearance, thin and crisp skin, and crisp green flesh. It is an early-maturing, high-quality, fruit-type green radish. When eaten raw, it is sweet, crisp, and juicy, with a slight spicy kick. Its edible rate reaches 98%, and it is rich in various vitamins, carbohydrates, and minerals. Locals in Longyang commonly call it the “green ginseng fruit.” Regular consumption helps promote saliva production, quench thirst, regulate qi, ease bowel movements, strengthen the stomach, and aid digestion.

　　In the early 20th century, a large number of exquisite Han Dynasty stone reliefs were unearthed in areas such as Huangjialing and Longyang Store within Longyang. Among them, the “Plowing Scene” not only fully reflects the entire process of local farmers using oxen and horses to plow fields and sow seeds more than 2,000 years ago, but also depicts vivid scenes of estate managers supervising work with swords. The “Manure Gathering Scene” vividly reflects the developed animal husbandry in the Longyang area and the ancestors’ high regard for land fertilization. This historical record fully proves the ancient Longyang people’s emphasis on farming, and also provided the humanistic and historical conditions for the inheritance and development of the precious resource that is Longyang Green Radish.

　　 After the liberation, agricultural development in Longyang accelerated further. In the 1960s, in major grain-producing plains areas such as Shicun and Shatu, the average wheat yield per mu exceeded 1,000 jin, with the highest single yield reaching 692.45 kilograms, becoming a national model. At the same time, the planting area of vegetables such as potatoes, green radishes, onions, ginger, garlic, and celery also continued to expand. Especially after the 1970s, Longyang Town guided the public to vigorously implement agricultural restructuring, focusing on developing high-efficiency agricultural products and promoting standardized planting. In the plains areas, the vegetable industry represented by potatoes and green radishes flourished, replacing grains as the dominant local industry and becoming a well-known premium vegetable production area in southern Shandong. By 2013, the specialized vegetable production base in Longyang had expanded to 35,000 mu, and the fame of Longyang Green Radish spread far and wide, with its products being sold across the country in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong.

　　 Currently, the production of Longyang Green Radish is concentrated in 15 villages in the southern part of Longyang, with a stable annual planting area of over 4,500 mu. Xizhuang Village is the most representative, yielding a total annual output of more than 14,000 tons and a production value exceeding 30 million yuan. Longyang Green Radish has now become a distinctive, high-quality local agricultural product. It has registered multiple brands, including “Tengshuo,” “Ruiyang,” “Tengyang,” and “Yinongsi,” and has obtained four certifications for pollution-free and green agricultural products from the Ministry of Agriculture. It is currently applying for national geographical indication certification. Among these, Tengyang Selenium-Rich Green Radish has entered major markets across the north and south, including Jinan Yintai Supermarket, Shanghai Qilu Building (Fangyi Hotel), and Beijing Maizidian Community. The green radish of Longyang Town is bound to become another major advantage in the city’s agricultural product industry, following potatoes.

　　Vegetables

　　Shandong

　　Longyang Green Radish Industry Development Association of Tengzhou City

　　Located within Longyang Town, Tengzhou City, covering 7 sub-district offices and 55 administrative villages. Geographic coordinates: 117°07′ to 117°12′ east longitude, 35°09′ to 35°14′ north latitude.